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Corbyn: Absurd for Johnson to suggest he represents the people against parliament – live news Brexit: Boris Johnson's claim to represent people v parliament is absurd, says Corbyn – live news
(30 minutes later)
These are from Sky’s Sam Coates.
So one Tory MP tells me that Boris Johnson told them that he *did* now have concerns about no dealThe PM apparently said that he had looked in detailWhile he was confident that each individual measure could be mitigated, all together at once they present a very big challenge
None of which amounts to a shift in position And this was a remain leaning MP so there may have been an element of tailoring the message to the audience But it’s the first time I’ve heard that kind of report
Amber Rudd, who resigned as work and pensions secretary at the weekend, and also resigned the Tory whip, has written an open letter to her constituents explaining her decision.
She now sits as an independent, but she says she hopes to continue as MP for Hastings and Rye “into the next general election”.
UPDATE: A spokesman for Amber Rudd has clarified that she will not stand in her Hastings and Rye constituency at the election. I have taken out the sentence in the paragraph above saying her letter seemed to imply otherwise.
Last weekend I made the difficult decision to resign from cabinet and surrender the Conservative whip. I would like to reassure residents that I will continue to work hard as the MP for Hastings and Rye and thank you for the many good wishes I have received pic.twitter.com/vSEVuZlj0n
Boris Johnson chaired cabinet this morning. Number 10 will brief on it at 12pm, but the Spectator’s James Forsyth has already had a read-out.
At Cabinet this morning, Boris Johnson told ministers that the next 5 weeks would see the government focus on the NHS, violent crime and the cost of living. In other words, an attempt get back to the campaigns that worked for them so well in August when parliament was not sitting
Intriguingly, he told them that his policy on Brexit was unchanged by the Benn bill. I'm told that he said what he does on October 19th if there's no deal will only come clear nearer the time. So, no answer now--or not one he's prepared to share
Number 10 still think they can find a way to avoid this extension., They also expect an attempt, via an SO24, to revoke Article 50 when parliament returns in October
I'm told Boris Johnson also took on the critique that the government is extreme. He argued that most people want the referendum result delivered and that his domestic agenda was in the common ground of British politics
He highlighted polling showing that they are more trusted on the NHS than Jeremy Corbyn. (Think poll was the Survation one for the Mail, that showed 35% of voters trust Boris Johnson with the NHS compared to 30% for Corbyn)
Corbyn is on his peroration.Corbyn is on his peroration.
Congress, the coming general election will be a chance for a real change of direction.Congress, the coming general election will be a chance for a real change of direction.
In the next few weeks the establishment will come after us with all they’ve got, because they know we’re not afraid to take them on.In the next few weeks the establishment will come after us with all they’ve got, because they know we’re not afraid to take them on.
We’re going after the tax avoiders.We’re going after the tax avoiders.
We’re going after the bad bosses.We’re going after the bad bosses.
We’re going after the dodgy landlords.We’re going after the dodgy landlords.
We’re going after the big polluters destroying our climate.We’re going after the big polluters destroying our climate.
Because we know whose side we’re on.Because we know whose side we’re on.
We’re creating a society of hope and inclusion – not poverty – and division.We’re creating a society of hope and inclusion – not poverty – and division.
He is now getting a long standing ovation.He is now getting a long standing ovation.
Corbyn has praise for the Financial Times.Corbyn has praise for the Financial Times.
Last week the Financial Times said that Labour is, and I quote: “determined to shift power away from bosses and landlords and to workers and tenants.” Last week the Financial Times said that Labour is, and I quote, ‘determined to shift power away from bosses and landlords and to workers and tenants’.
Well there has been no shortage of rather unkind reporting about our party over the last few years, but this time they’ve got it absolutely right.Well there has been no shortage of rather unkind reporting about our party over the last few years, but this time they’ve got it absolutely right.
We will put workers on company boards, and give the workforce a 10% stake in large companies paying a dividend of as much as £500 a year to each employee.We will put workers on company boards, and give the workforce a 10% stake in large companies paying a dividend of as much as £500 a year to each employee.
And we will give tenants more rights including caps on rent rises.And we will give tenants more rights including caps on rent rises.
And that principle of empowering people doesn’t just apply to the workplace.And that principle of empowering people doesn’t just apply to the workplace.
We’ll bring rail, mail, water and the national grid into public ownership, so the essential utilities that people rely on are run by and for the public, not just shareholders.We’ll bring rail, mail, water and the national grid into public ownership, so the essential utilities that people rely on are run by and for the public, not just shareholders.
Here is my colleague Kate Proctor and Rajeev Syal’s story about the employment rights announcement in Corbyn’s speech. Here is a story by my colleagues Kate Proctor and Rajeev Syal about the employment rights announcement in Corbyn’s speech.
Jeremy Corbyn pledges biggest ever extension of workers' rightsJeremy Corbyn pledges biggest ever extension of workers' rights
Corbyn says Labour would set up a workers protection agency. Corbyn says Labour would set up a workers’ protection agency.
Too many employers are getting away with flouting laws. Nearly half a million people are still being paid less than the minimum wage.Too many employers are getting away with flouting laws. Nearly half a million people are still being paid less than the minimum wage.
We’ll put a stop to that. We’ll create a workers protection agency with real teeth, including the power to enter workplaces and bring prosecutions on workers’ behalf.We’ll put a stop to that. We’ll create a workers protection agency with real teeth, including the power to enter workplaces and bring prosecutions on workers’ behalf.
If you’re a worker with a boss who makes you work extra hours for no pay or forces you into dangerous situations, you deserve a government that’s on your side and ready to step in to support you.If you’re a worker with a boss who makes you work extra hours for no pay or forces you into dangerous situations, you deserve a government that’s on your side and ready to step in to support you.
Corbyn says Labour would introduce equal rights for all workers from day one.Corbyn says Labour would introduce equal rights for all workers from day one.
And it would end zero-hours contracts.And it would end zero-hours contracts.
Corbyn says Labour would bring about “the biggest extension of rights for workers that our country has ever seen”.Corbyn says Labour would bring about “the biggest extension of rights for workers that our country has ever seen”.
He says he would establish a new ministry of employment rights. Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary, will give more details in a speech at the TUC conference later.He says he would establish a new ministry of employment rights. Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary, will give more details in a speech at the TUC conference later.
He says Labour would roll out sectoral collective bargaining.He says Labour would roll out sectoral collective bargaining.
And within 100 days of taking office he would repeal the Tory Trade Union Act.And within 100 days of taking office he would repeal the Tory Trade Union Act.
Corbyn says pay is lower in real terms than it was a decade ago, he says.Corbyn says pay is lower in real terms than it was a decade ago, he says.
He says the last decade has been the worst for wage growth since the Napoleonic war.He says the last decade has been the worst for wage growth since the Napoleonic war.
Corbyn confirms that Labour will go into the election proposing a referendum on Brexit, with a credible leave option and remain as the two choices.Corbyn confirms that Labour will go into the election proposing a referendum on Brexit, with a credible leave option and remain as the two choices.
Corbyn says his first priority is to stop no deal. Then he wants to trigger a general election.Corbyn says his first priority is to stop no deal. Then he wants to trigger a general election.
A general election is coming, he says.A general election is coming, he says.
At the election he says Labour will unleash the biggest people-powered campaign ever seen.At the election he says Labour will unleash the biggest people-powered campaign ever seen.
Corbyn says the Tories would use a no-deal Brexit to implement policies that would benefit the rich.Corbyn says the Tories would use a no-deal Brexit to implement policies that would benefit the rich.
For the Tories this is about so much more than leaving the European Union. It’s about hijacking the referendum result to shift even more power and wealth to those at the top.For the Tories this is about so much more than leaving the European Union. It’s about hijacking the referendum result to shift even more power and wealth to those at the top.
They will use a no-deal crash to push through policies that benefit them and their super-rich supporters and hurt everyone else – just as they did after the financial crash.They will use a no-deal crash to push through policies that benefit them and their super-rich supporters and hurt everyone else – just as they did after the financial crash.
Under the cover of no-deal they will sell off our public services, strip away the regulations that keep us safe, and undermine workers’ rights.Under the cover of no-deal they will sell off our public services, strip away the regulations that keep us safe, and undermine workers’ rights.
He says a no-deal Brexit would be a Trump deal Brexit.He says a no-deal Brexit would be a Trump deal Brexit.
Be in no doubt, a no-deal Brexit is really a Trump Deal Brexit, leading to a one-sided US trade deal negotiated from a position of weakness.Be in no doubt, a no-deal Brexit is really a Trump Deal Brexit, leading to a one-sided US trade deal negotiated from a position of weakness.
It will put us at the mercy of Trump and the big US corporations itching to get their teeth further into our NHS, sound the death knell for our steel industry, and permanently drive down rights and protections for workers.It will put us at the mercy of Trump and the big US corporations itching to get their teeth further into our NHS, sound the death knell for our steel industry, and permanently drive down rights and protections for workers.
I am not prepared to stand by and let that happen.I am not prepared to stand by and let that happen.
Corbyn says this time last week the Tories and the DUP had a majority of one. Now it is minus 45, he says.Corbyn says this time last week the Tories and the DUP had a majority of one. Now it is minus 45, he says.
He says for most people what happens at Westminster is a million miles away.He says for most people what happens at Westminster is a million miles away.
For him, real politics is not the parliamentary knockabout. It is about giving power to people.For him, real politics is not the parliamentary knockabout. It is about giving power to people.
He says Boris Johnson’s strategy is clear. He says he wants to stage a showdown over no deal, and present this as a conflict between parliament and the people.He says Boris Johnson’s strategy is clear. He says he wants to stage a showdown over no deal, and present this as a conflict between parliament and the people.
But the idea that Johnson represents the people is absurd, he says. He says Johnson and his cabinet are not just on the side of the establishment. They are the establishment.But the idea that Johnson represents the people is absurd, he says. He says Johnson and his cabinet are not just on the side of the establishment. They are the establishment.
Jeremy Corbyn is speaking at the TUC conference now.Jeremy Corbyn is speaking at the TUC conference now.
He starts by praising the TUC, and thanking trade unionists for what they do.He starts by praising the TUC, and thanking trade unionists for what they do.
William Hague, the former Conservative leader and former foreign secretary, has used his Telegraph column today (paywall) to deliver a damning verdict on Boris Johnson’s decision to remove the whip from the 21 rebels who voted against the government on Brexit last week. Many others have criticised the decision, of course, including Amber Rudd when she resigned as work and pensions secretary at the weekend, but given that Hague is someone whose default mode is loyalty to the party, his critique is remarkable. He describes what Johnson did as “a disgusting act of hypocrisy”.William Hague, the former Conservative leader and former foreign secretary, has used his Telegraph column today (paywall) to deliver a damning verdict on Boris Johnson’s decision to remove the whip from the 21 rebels who voted against the government on Brexit last week. Many others have criticised the decision, of course, including Amber Rudd when she resigned as work and pensions secretary at the weekend, but given that Hague is someone whose default mode is loyalty to the party, his critique is remarkable. He describes what Johnson did as “a disgusting act of hypocrisy”.
Here is an extract.Here is an extract.
All of us who have been Tory leader have made mistakes, but this one is the most egregious and counter-productive act of self-harm committed by the party leadership that I can recall in my lifetime. If we do not speak out about it, there is little prospect that lessons will be learned ...All of us who have been Tory leader have made mistakes, but this one is the most egregious and counter-productive act of self-harm committed by the party leadership that I can recall in my lifetime. If we do not speak out about it, there is little prospect that lessons will be learned ...
It is not possible to be aware of [the] record and characters [of those who have had the whip removed] without thinking that their expulsion from the parliamentary ranks of the Conservative party, partly at the behest of people who have spent years rebelling, is a disgusting act of hypocrisy.It is not possible to be aware of [the] record and characters [of those who have had the whip removed] without thinking that their expulsion from the parliamentary ranks of the Conservative party, partly at the behest of people who have spent years rebelling, is a disgusting act of hypocrisy.
Space does not allow me to go through the work of each of these 21. But when I recall Nicholas Soames sitting assiduously on the backbenches and loyally supporting Tory leaders when I arrived in the Commons in 1989, and that he was still in the same spot, still supporting them, when I left in 2015, I cannot accept that he can be tossed out of the party after one rebellion on the whim of advisers who have only just turned up ...Space does not allow me to go through the work of each of these 21. But when I recall Nicholas Soames sitting assiduously on the backbenches and loyally supporting Tory leaders when I arrived in the Commons in 1989, and that he was still in the same spot, still supporting them, when I left in 2015, I cannot accept that he can be tossed out of the party after one rebellion on the whim of advisers who have only just turned up ...
The final problem with this whole episode is that it appears to send a signal – that if you are a “moderate” Tory, a socially liberal, fiscally responsible, internationalist Conservative who believes in the necessity of compromise and balance in our national affairs – you have to start to think about joining a new party.The final problem with this whole episode is that it appears to send a signal – that if you are a “moderate” Tory, a socially liberal, fiscally responsible, internationalist Conservative who believes in the necessity of compromise and balance in our national affairs – you have to start to think about joining a new party.
Job creation across the UK has slowed... but there’s good news too – wages are picking up, my colleague Graeme Wearden writes on his business live blog, covering today’s unemployment figures. The full details are here.Job creation across the UK has slowed... but there’s good news too – wages are picking up, my colleague Graeme Wearden writes on his business live blog, covering today’s unemployment figures. The full details are here.
UK job creation slows, but total wage growth hits 11-year high – business liveUK job creation slows, but total wage growth hits 11-year high – business live
Anyone who has followed Boris Johnson’s career in detail will know that there is a long list of people who have put their trust in him and who at some point discover they have been let down. Are the DUP about to join the club?Anyone who has followed Boris Johnson’s career in detail will know that there is a long list of people who have put their trust in him and who at some point discover they have been let down. Are the DUP about to join the club?
As my colleague Lisa O’Carroll wrote in a post on this blog yesterday, there is increasing speculation that Boris Johnson is moving towards accepting some version of a Northern Ireland-only backstop as a solution to the Brexit crisis. Newsnight’s Nicholas Watt went into this in more detail in a report yesterday. Here is an excerpt from a blog setting out his understanding of Johnson’s thinking.As my colleague Lisa O’Carroll wrote in a post on this blog yesterday, there is increasing speculation that Boris Johnson is moving towards accepting some version of a Northern Ireland-only backstop as a solution to the Brexit crisis. Newsnight’s Nicholas Watt went into this in more detail in a report yesterday. Here is an excerpt from a blog setting out his understanding of Johnson’s thinking.
The Tories familiar with Boris Johnson’s thinking say he is now willing to contemplate a version of the so-called “Northern Ireland-only backstop”. Under this plan Northern Ireland would be closely bound to the EU on areas where there are already elements of an all Ireland economy – agriculture and electricity.The Tories familiar with Boris Johnson’s thinking say he is now willing to contemplate a version of the so-called “Northern Ireland-only backstop”. Under this plan Northern Ireland would be closely bound to the EU on areas where there are already elements of an all Ireland economy – agriculture and electricity.
But Great Britain would be free to chart its own course. That would free GB to have a free trade agreement with the EU but would create a border down the Irish Sea. All of that could be achieved by amending the backstop in the Brexit withdrawal agreement to apply only to Northern Ireland. The separate political declaration would be amended to say that a Canada-plus trade deal would be negotiated for Great Britain. The government would be wary of calling the new mechanism a backstop, because it regards the current backstop as anti-democratic.But Great Britain would be free to chart its own course. That would free GB to have a free trade agreement with the EU but would create a border down the Irish Sea. All of that could be achieved by amending the backstop in the Brexit withdrawal agreement to apply only to Northern Ireland. The separate political declaration would be amended to say that a Canada-plus trade deal would be negotiated for Great Britain. The government would be wary of calling the new mechanism a backstop, because it regards the current backstop as anti-democratic.
Downing St confirmed that a backstop in any form is unacceptable to the prime minister. But he is willing to recognise, as he told MPs last week, that “agri-food is increasingly managed on a common basis across the island of Ireland”.Downing St confirmed that a backstop in any form is unacceptable to the prime minister. But he is willing to recognise, as he told MPs last week, that “agri-food is increasingly managed on a common basis across the island of Ireland”.
But there is potentially a big problem with this plan. The DUP would oppose anything that would create a new regulatory border between Britain and Northern Ireland (although Watt, in his blog, quotes one source explaining why a version of this proposal might be acceptable to the unionists).But there is potentially a big problem with this plan. The DUP would oppose anything that would create a new regulatory border between Britain and Northern Ireland (although Watt, in his blog, quotes one source explaining why a version of this proposal might be acceptable to the unionists).
This morning Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, spoke to Sky News before flying to London. She said she would be speaking to Johnson later. Asked about the suggestions that Johnson was planning a Northern Ireland-only backstop, she claimed this was “very wide of the mark”. Perhaps she is right, but it did sound a little as if she was not 100% convinced and as if she was seeking to lay down a marker to the PM.This morning Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, spoke to Sky News before flying to London. She said she would be speaking to Johnson later. Asked about the suggestions that Johnson was planning a Northern Ireland-only backstop, she claimed this was “very wide of the mark”. Perhaps she is right, but it did sound a little as if she was not 100% convinced and as if she was seeking to lay down a marker to the PM.
She told Sky News:She told Sky News:
There’s been a lot of speculation about that ... What we’re focused on is about getting a deal that works for the whole of the United Kingdom, one that works for Northern Ireland, one that does not have Northern Ireland hived off into a different customs union than the rest of the United Kingdom, breaking up the single market of the United Kingdom. That would be unheard off. To think that any United Kingdom prime minister would be involved in that sort of thing would just be an anathema. Jeremy Corbyn has said that in the past, our own prime minister has said that. So I think all of this speculation is very wide of the mark.There’s been a lot of speculation about that ... What we’re focused on is about getting a deal that works for the whole of the United Kingdom, one that works for Northern Ireland, one that does not have Northern Ireland hived off into a different customs union than the rest of the United Kingdom, breaking up the single market of the United Kingdom. That would be unheard off. To think that any United Kingdom prime minister would be involved in that sort of thing would just be an anathema. Jeremy Corbyn has said that in the past, our own prime minister has said that. So I think all of this speculation is very wide of the mark.
When it was put to her that some people might think she was being naive, and that Johnson was more committed to delivering Brexit than to sticking with the DUP, she replied:When it was put to her that some people might think she was being naive, and that Johnson was more committed to delivering Brexit than to sticking with the DUP, she replied:
What people are talking about is not delivering Brexit; what people are talking about is the break-up of the United Kingdom. That is not something that any prime minister in the United Kingdom is going to in any conscience go along with.What people are talking about is not delivering Brexit; what people are talking about is the break-up of the United Kingdom. That is not something that any prime minister in the United Kingdom is going to in any conscience go along with.