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Brexit: Parliament to be prorogued tonight, Downing Street confirms – live news
Brexit: John Bercow to step down as Speaker by 31 October – live news
(about 2 hours later)
Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalist party, is suggesting Boris Johnson could be impeached if he ignores the law designed to rule out a no-deal Brexit on 31 October. Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid’s Wesminster leader, said this after the meeting of opposition leaders this morning.
In the Commons chamber the tributes to John Bercow are still coming. But not everyone is joining in. This is from the BBC’s Vicki Young.
I am glad that as opposition parties, we are united in our belief that Boris Johnson’s attempt to undermine the rule of law must be stopped.
Most Conservative MPs have left the chamber unable to stomach ongoing tributes to Speaker Bercow
If the prime minister refuses to seek an extension to the period under article 50, he will have broken the law – plain and simple – and he must be subject to legal repercussions.
One theory doing the rounds in Dublin is that Boris Johnson may pull a Northern Ireland-only backstop out of the bag at the last minute as a means of forcing a Brexit deal through parliament in between 17 October and 31 October.
I told other opposition parties this morning that if he does break the law, we should be ready to impeach Boris Johnson – a procedure that he himself supported in 2004 when current Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price sought to impeach Tony Blair for lying.
The idea was mooted early on in Brexit talks but famously dropped after opposition from the DUP, which accused Theresa May of trying to break up the union of the United Kingdom by creating regulatory checks down the Irish sea.
Saville Roberts did not mention the fact that Price’s attempt to impeach Blair in 2004 got nowhere. As this Commons library briefing (pdf) explains, “impeachment is considered obsolete, as it has been superseded by other forms of accountability”. Ken Macdonald, a former director of public prosecutions, has suggested Johnson could be jailed for contempt of court if he ignored this law.
But Johnson’s proposal for an all-island agriculture zone is one of the key elements of the backstop and now that the DUP no longer has the leverage it had because of the changed arithmetic, some believe this is where the landing zone is.
This is what Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, said after the meeting of opposition parties this morning.
As Daniel Boffey reported on Friday, it is understood the UK has suggested there is a need for Stormont to be able to vote on the continuation of the proposed common regulatory area, which has been described by EU officials as a “backstop-lite”.
It is clear there must be an early election - but it cannot happen while the Tory government is threatening to subvert the law to force through a catastrophic no-deal Brexit on 31 October.
Boris Johnson’s Irish border plan stalls after 'disastrous' EU talks
If Boris Johnson wants an election he must obey the law and take a no-deal Brexit off the table. It is beyond belief that the prime minister is disrespecting democracy by seeking to shut down parliament and railroad through an extreme Brexit against the will of parliament and the people.
The suggestion that Stormont could have a role in dynamic regulatory alignment has been rejected by the EU, but it is being seen as a sign of the thinking in Conservative quarters.
Once the threat of no deal is off the table, we will move for an early election.
It may also explain why efforts are being redoubled to get Stormont back up and running by the deadline for direct rule in October.
The government has spent tens of thousands of pounds in recent days on adverts promising “Brexit is happening” on 31 October, despite increasing uncertainty over whether it actually will, PA Media reports. Figures from Facebook showed the government had paid out £30,531 on the targeted posts in the five days since they were launched on 4 September – the same week MPs voted to block a no-deal departure. The adverts point to information for businesses and members of the public on how to prepare for the planned exit on Halloween.
One British source said the all-island agri-zone “is a very serious proposal” and should not be dismissed, with another reporting one senior cabinet minister dropping strong hints that a Northern Ireland-only backstop is not off the table, despite statements to the contrary by Boris Johnson.
Jeremy Corbyn has described the government’s decision to prorogue parliament this evening as “disgraceful”. Asked about the move, Corbyn said:
So is it possible that Johnson comes back from Brussels on 17 October with no deal, and, faced with the law which will require him to seek an extension, reverts to the original Northern Ireland-only backstop in a very last die-in-a-ditch moment?
I think it is disgraceful. Parliament should be sitting. Parliament should be holding the government to account. And the prime minister appears to want to run away from questions.
A few months ago we posted this video with some highlights from John Bercow’s time as Speaker.
Corbyn also confirmed that the opposition parties have agreed not to back an early election until the government has complied with the bill ruling out a no-deal Brexit on 31 October.
These are from the House magazine’s Seb Whale.
This is from Jo Swinson, the Lib Dem leader, commenting after a meeting with Jeremy Corbyn and other opposition leaders this morning.
So, who will be the next Speaker? @theHouse_mag has interviewed a few of the runners and riders. First up, Dame Eleanor Laing, who became the first to announce she would run https://t.co/sj5p6oIcCK
Tonight, the @LibDems will vote against the PM’s election, which he could use to tip us into a No Deal. We will not support an election until Article 50 has been extended. Other opposition leaders have confirmed the same in cross-party meeting this morning.
Next, Chris Bryant. He vowed not to "belittle" MPs if he succeeds John Bercow. https://t.co/hCvrdaKKXA
One consequence of the decision to prorogue parliament this evening is that Boris Johnson will not have to give evidence to the Commons liaison committee at a session that was scheduled for Wednesday. Hilary Benn, the Labour chair of the Commons Brexit committee (and a member of the liaison committee) has issue this statement on behalf of the People’s Vote campaign, which wants a second referendum. He said:
An unlikely bid from Sir Edward Leigh, the Tory backbencher, running on a more traditional platform. https://t.co/YlbwpzGkFa
It is extraordinary that Boris Johnson will shut down parliament this evening for over a month at the very moment when we need our elected MPs to be in the House of Commons holding the government to account. It also means that the prime minister will avoid having to face questions from the liaison committee on Wednesday. I don’t think he was relishing the prospect.
The SNP's Pete Wishart released a manifesto setting out his objectives for the Speakership. He wants to tackle the "cultural misogyny that reverberates out of the very fabric of parliament” https://t.co/UtkYp01re9
Richard Benyon, one of the 21 Conservative MPs who lost the whip last week after he voted against the government, has announced he is standing down at the next election.
We also have a likely bid from Harriet Harman. She told me she would "consider" whether to stand after Bercow stands down. https://t.co/GmzMWg5U3g
Today I have announced that I will not be seeking re-election at the forthcoming General Election. Read my full statement here: https://t.co/mO16xmNjwQ
The frontrunner, however, is Lindsay Hoyle. He wanted to wait until Bercow stood aside to announce his candidacy.“When the Speaker decides to go, I may well enter that race. But I’ll certainly wait for the starting gun first.” https://t.co/9kqhfulzJh
Here is a full list of MPs who are standing down. There are now almost 20 MPs, elected as Tories at the last election, who have said they are not standing again. Almost all are from the centrist, one nation wing of the party. There are another 13 who could go because they lost the whip last week and may struggle to get re-elected as independents.
From the Mirror’s Pippa Crerar
Back in the public administration committee, Sir Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary, said that in the event of a general election, essential government business could continue. That would include the Brexit talks, he said.
Odds for John Bercow’s replacement as Commons Speaker. pic.twitter.com/fpoOnrdQSJ
Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar have issued a joint statement following their talks in Dublin. Here it is in full.
From my colleague Patrick Wintour
They said that while “common ground” was established in some areas, “significant gaps” remain between them.
Everyone will have a view on Bercow's personality and neutrality, but this graph shows he made the executive answerable to MPs, often when Ministers refused to be so. By this alone, he revived a moribund parliamentary democracy in the UK. pic.twitter.com/aR8ZaQXAgA
The prime minister and the taoiseach had a positive and constructive meeting in Government Buildings this morning.
The tributes to John Bercow are still coming in. They have included tributes from Dame Cheryl Gillan, who praised Bercow for the support he has given to those who have campaigned on behalf of those with autism, from Angela Eagle, who praised his campaigning on behalf of LGBT issues, and from Peter Bone, the Tory Brexiter, who said that even though he disagreed with some of Bercow’s rulings, he thought Bercow had been an “outstanding” Speaker.
This was an essential and timely opportunity for the prime minister and the taoiseach to establish a relationship and a better understanding of each other’s positions.
Bercow told Bone it was big of him to say that in the light of their Brexit disagreements.
They spoke privately over breakfast for more than half an hour before joining their delegations for another half-hour meeting.
Here is the full text of John Bercow’s resignation statement.
While they agreed that the discussions are at an early stage, common ground was established in some areas although significant gaps remain.
Colleagues, I would like to make a personal statement to the house. At the 2017 election I promised my wife and children that it would be my last. This is a pledge that I intend to keep. If the house votes tonight for an early general election, my tenure as Speaker and MP will end when this parliament ends.
The UK and Ireland are committed to securing an agreement between the European Union and the UK, and recognise that negotiations take place through the Brussels taskforce.
If the house does not so vote, I have concluded that the least disruptive and most democratic course of action would be for me stand down at the close of business on Thursday, 31 October. Least disruptive because that date will fall shortly after the votes on the Queen’s speech expected on 21 and 22 October.
They also shared their commitment to the Belfast/Good Friday agreement and the restoration of the power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland.
The week also after that may be quite lively and it would be best to have an experienced figure in the chair for that short period.
They look forward to meeting each other again in the near future.
Most democratic because it will mean that a ballot is held when all members have some knowledge of the candidates. This is far preferable to a contest at the beginning of a parliament when new MPs will not be similarly informed and may find themselves vulnerable to undue institutional influence.
Labour’s Rupa Huq goes next.
We would not want anyone to be whipped senseless, would we? Throughout my time as Speaker I have sought to increase the relative authority of this legislature for which I will make absolutely no apology to anyone, anywhere, at any time.
Q: When were you told of the PM’s plan to prorogue parliament for five weeks?
To deploy a perhaps dangerous phrase, I have also sought to be the backbencher’s backstop.
Sedwill says the paper has been revealed in court. He was on holiday at the time, but he was kept informed, and read that paper on the day it was submitted to the PM, or the day after.
I could not do so without the support of a small but superb team in Speaker’s House, the wider house staff, my Buckingham constituents, and above all my wife, Sally, and our three children, Oliver, Freddy and Jemima. From the bottom of my heart, I thank them all profusely.
The SNP’s Ronnie Cowan asks if, in the event of a vote of no confidence, the PM could just run down the clock for 14 days without recommending an alternative PM to the Queen.
I could also not have served without the repeated support of this house and its members past and present. This is a wonderful place filled overwhelmingly by people who are motivated by their notion of the national interest by their perception of the public good. And by their duty, not as delegates, but as representatives, to do what they believe is right for our country.
Sedwill confirms that that is the case.
We degrade this parliament at our peril. I have served as a member of parliament for 22 years, and for the last 10 as Speaker. This has been, let me put it explicitly, the greatest privilege and honour of my professional life for which I will be eternally grateful.
Sedwill suggests that, following a vote of no confidence, the prime minster would not be obliged to suggest an alternative PM to the Queen.
I wish my successor in the chair the very best fortune in standing up for the rights of honourable and right honourable members individually and for parliament institutionally as the Speaker of the House of Commons.
Sir Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary, has just started giving evidence to the Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee.
It is important to remember, of course, that only yesterday the Conservatives announced that they were going to field a candidate against John Bercow at the next election, even though the Speaker is normally given a clear run, because they had concluded he was biased against them on Brexit. The story is here.
There is a live feed here.
Tories plan to contest John Bercow's seat in breach of convention
Sedwill has just said the prime minister is under a duty to resign only when he, or she, can make a recommendation to the Queen as to who is most likely to be able to command the confidence of the House of Commons.
A few minutes ago Michael Gove praised Bercow lavishly. (See 3.51pm.) Maybe he was being sincere if speaking in a personal capacity (Gove is an accomplished parliamentarian debater, and did not seem to mind Bercow giving backbenchers the chance to hold the executive to account), but for a Conservative party and government representative to be praising Bercow a day after launching a plan to unseat him, and on the day the government is closing parliament to stop ministers being held to account, was astonishingly hypocritical.
That is a political judgment the PM must exercise, with advice from the cabinet secretary.
David Lidington, the former Cabinet Office minister, represents the constituency next door to Bercow’s in Buckinghamshire. He says Bercow never allowed his duties as Speaker to detract from his need to represent his constituents.
Q: Does the PM need to test that, with a sitting House of Commons?
Hilary Benn, the chair of the Commons Brexit committee, whose bill designed to rule out a no-deal Brexit on 31 October was passed as a result of a procedural ruling allowed by Bercow, praises Bercow as a reforming Speaker who has empowered parliament.
No, says Sedwill.
Bercow says Gove never complained about urgent questions being granted at short notice, because he was always quick enough and bright enough to respond.
He says when Boris Johnson was appointed there was talk of having a vote of confidence in the house. But that did not go ahead.
He suggests that praising Gove may not do him credit on the Tory benches.
From Sky’s Sam Coates
(Many Tory MPs loath Bercow, and will be glad to see him gone.)
Exc: No10 has seen polling that means if there was an election now, Boris Johnson would do worse than Theresa May, according to Jason Stein, who was a Tory special advisor and Amber Rudd aide until Saturday night Here’s what he told me for a Sky News interview: pic.twitter.com/bDszzB2Ky7
Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, is speaking now. He says for the first time he would like to associate himself with what Jeremy Corbyn said. He says Bercow was a tenacious backbencher, and frontbencher too.
Downing Street has also insisted, again, that Boris Johnson will refused to request an article 50 extension - even though legislation passed last week, and due to receive royal assent later today, would require him to do this if MPs do not pass a deal or vote to approve a no-deal Brexit. The prime minister’s spokesman told journalists at the morning lobby briefing:
He says he has no wish to prematurely truncate Bercow’ role in the chair.
The prime minister is not going to seek an extension.
He says he has always appreciated the way Bercow has tried to ensure the executive has been held to account. He says Bercow has acted in the best tradition of Speakers.
If MPs want to resolve this there is an easy way - vote for an election today and let the public decide.
He says Bercow has tried to make the executive answerable to the Commons, just as the house is answerable to the people.
Nigel Farage, the Brexit party leader, claims that Boris Johnson has changed tack and that he is now going “all out” for Theresa May’s Brexit deal.
He ends by saying he and Bercow have children at the same school.
The Boris bravado has disappeared in Dublin, saying No Deal would be a “failure of statecraft”.He is now going all out for Mrs May’s “deal”, with Northern Ireland to be hived off from the rest of the UK. A clean break Brexit is the only way forward.
Jeremy Corbyn rises on a point of order and uses it to thank John Bercow for his work as Speaker.
Here are the main quotes from the Boris Johnson/Leo Varadkar press conference.
He says Bercow has “totally changed the way in which the job has been done”. He has gone out to the country and spoken at schools and factories. He says he will always remember Bercow speaking to students with learning disabilities at an event in Corbyn’s constituency. He says he has made the role of Speaker more powerful.
Boris Johnson insisted that he genuinely wanted to secure a Brexit deal before 31 October and he described a no-deal Brexit as “a failure of statecraft for which we would all be responsible”. This is a marked change of tone from Johnson, who in the past has repeatedly insisted that the dangers of no deal have been exaggerated by his critics. He said:
Corbyn says, as someone who aspires to hold executive office, he approves of a powerful parliament holding the executive to account. He says he has tried to do that himself during his career.
I want to find a deal. I have looked carefully at no-deal. Yes, we could do it, the UK could certainly get through it, but be in no doubt that outcome would be a failure of statecraft for which we would all be responsible.
Bercow says he could not have served without the support of the Commons.
He also insisted a deal could be achieved.
He says it is filled with people motivated by their sense of public duty, and with people who see themselves not as delegates but as representatives – there to do what is best for the public.
I would overwhelmingly prefer to find an agreement. I do believe that a deal can be done by October 18 [the final day of the EU summit] so let’s do it together.
He says he has been an MP for 22 years, and Speaker for 10 years. It has been the greatest honour of his life, he says.
He said he was “undaunted” by the opposition to his strategy in parliament. He said:
He wishes his successor all the best in terms of standing up for the rights of MPs individually, and for parliament institutionally.
We will come out on October 31, and I’m sure that parliamentarians will see the wisdom of doing that and respecting, honouring, the referendum result - the democratic referendum result.
Bercow has finished. He receives a round of applause, although with most of the clapping coming from the opposition benches.
And, I’m absolutely undaunted by whatever may take place in parliament.
Bercow says he has always sought to be the champion of backbenchers.
I think what the British people want us to do is to deliver a deal and to get on and take us out on October 31.
If you like, he has been their backstop, he says.
Leo Vardakar said that there would be no “clean break” for the UK from the EU, whatever happens later this year. Nigel Farage’s Brexit party, which poses a threat to the Tories at the next election, is demanding a no-deal Brexit, which it describes as a “clean-break Brexit”. In a reference to this terminology, Varadkar said:
He thanks House of Commons staff.
The story of Brexit will not end if the United Kingdom leaves on 31 October or even 31 January – there is no such thing as a clean break. No such thing as just getting it done. Rather, we just enter a new phase.
And he thanks his wife and his three children. He sounds very emotional at this point.
If there is no deal, I believe that’s possible, it will cause severe disruption for British and Irish people alike. We will have to get back to the negotiating table. When we do, the first and only items on the agenda will be citizens’ rights, the financial settlement and the Irish border. All the issues we had resolved in the withdrawal agreement we made with your predecessor. An agreement made in good faith by 28 governments.
John Bercow, the Speaker, says he wants to make a personal statement.
Varadkar said, even if there were a deal, negotiations between the UK and the EU would have to continue.
At the 2017 election he promised his wife and children that it would be his last, he says.
We will enter talks on a future relationship agreement between the EU and UK. It’s going to be tough dealing with issues ranging from tariffs to fishing rights, product standards and state aid. It will then have to be ratified by 31 parliaments.
He says if the Commons votes for an early general election, his tenure as Speaker and as an MP will end when this parliament ends.
He said that, even if Johnson agreed a deal by 31 October, negotiating a free trade deal with the EU during the time set aside for the transition, and getting it ratified by all EU parliaments, would be a “Herculean task”.
He says, if MPs do not vote for an election, he has concluded the least disruptiveoption will be to stand down at close of play on Thursday 31 October.
He said that he was prepared to listen to Johnson’s ideas for an alternative to the backstop, but he would not just accept a “promise”. He said:
He says the votes on the Queen’s speech will come at the start of that week. He says it would make sense to have an experienced Speaker in the chair for those votes.
I am ready to listen, but what we will not do is replace a legal guarantee with a promise.
And he says this would be the most democratic option because it would allow the new Speaker to be elected by MPs who know the candidates.
He said he thought the EU would need a “good reason” if it were to agree to another article 50 extension. He wanted this matter resolved at the October summit, he said. He explained:
From the Evening Standard’s Joe Murphy
I’m very keen to have this matter resolved at the EU summit. Brexit has dominated politics for far too long now. This is an opportunity for common ground and finding a solution.
Speaker’s wife Sally is in the Gallery. Major announcement about to take place?
As for an extension, we’d like to see this dealt with but if there is a good reason to have an extension we would consider it.
Tory MPs are falling like skittles at the moment. Another, Mark Prisk, has announced that he is standing down at the next election.
He said Ireland would oppose the reintroduction of direct rule in Northern Ireland, which he said would be “contrary to the St Andrews agreement”.
Prisk, 57, a former minister, voted remain in 2016 and voted with the government in the divisions on Theresa May’s Brexit deal. In his letter announcing his decision he says it is not a reaction to Brexit. But he also deprecates “the rise of narrow ideology over pragmatic, common sense”, and so it is not hard to guess what he thinks of what Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings are doing to the Conservative party.
Johnson claimed he had “an abundance of proposals” for alternatives to the backstop. But he refused to give any detail of what they were. He said:
Today I have announced that I will not be standing at the next general election. Read my full statement here pic.twitter.com/OgTkw7XLlj
I’ve seen the old border and how absolutely vital it is we keep the open border, on the plan, it’s fairly obvious, we need to find a way of ensuring that the UK is not kept locked in backstop arrangement while giving Ireland the assurance that it needs.
Whether it’s electronic pre-clearance or concept of the unity of island for agri-foods, and other ideas we’ll bring forward to address the full range.
I don’t underestimate the technical problems but I do think there is a way through.
Varadkar said having no backstop would mean there being no deal. He said:
In the absence of agreed alternative arrangements, no backstop is no deal for us.
