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Boris Johnson is facing open rebellion in his Conservative Party as he presses on with his “do-or-die” strategy to get the U.K. out of the European Union on Oct. 31. Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd quit in a blaze of fury on Saturday night and other Tory MPs have criticized his strategy.
After Parliament voted to block a no-deal split from the EU last week — and against Johnson’s plan for a general election — the prime minister is expected to press ahead with another motion on Monday calling for a national ballot. Opposition parties say they will vote against the move because they don’t trust Johnson and want Brexit delayed until January before an election is held.
Key Developments:
Rudd Quits Johnson’s Cabinet With Furious Attack on His StrategyFarage pledges electoral pact with Brexiteer ToriesMembers of Parliament seek legal advice on how they can stop Johnson breaking no-deal lawThérèse Coffey appointed to cabinet to replace RuddEx-Chancellor Seeks Legal Advice Over Ejection From Tory Party
Javid Insists U.K. is Trying to Get Deal (9:20 a.m.)
Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid said there is a proposal on the controversial Irish border backstop which will be put to the EU, but refused to give further details. He insisted the U.K. government is focused on a getting a new agreement and intensive work is continuing, despite Amber Rudd saying it isn’t doing enough.
“I do know there’s a proposal and it would be madness to start talking about it in public,’’ Javid told BBC TV. “The prime minister set up a small group so we can move quickly and move at pace as the EU changes its position.”
Javid said the anti no-deal law passed by Parliament was “an attempt to kneecap the government” and had not helped the chances of getting a new agreement.
“We don’t want no-deal, but if we have to we will leave on Oct. 31 with no deal,” he said. “It’s the fact we’re willing to do that which is focusing minds.”
Labour Doesn’t Trust Johnson on No-Deal (9:05 a.m.)
John McDonnell, Treasury spokesman for the Labour Party, said opposition parties will not back a general election until they are sure that a no-deal Brexit has been taken off the table.
“We’ve got to use every mechanism we possibly can to rule out no-deal,” McDonnell told BBC TV. “If we vote for the motion he’s put forward, that retains in Boris Johnson’s hands the timing of the election.”
“If his own brother can’t trust him, how can we trust him?” McDonnell said.
Rudd: Not Enough Is Being Done for a Deal (8:50 a.m.)
Former Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd — who quit the cabinet and the Conservative Party on Saturday evening — said not enough is being done to pursue a Brexit deal with the EU.
“I supported Boris Johnson in his approach and I believe I was right to do that,” she said in an interview with BBC TV. “It’s because of the consequences now, the 21 senior colleagues expelled and the lack of planning for actually getting a deal, which makes my position untenable.”
Johnson ‘Sticking to His Guns,’ Raab Says (8:35 a.m.)
Boris Johnson is “sticking to his guns” and continuing to pursue his commitment to leaving the EU on Oct. 31, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in an interview with Sky News.
Ministers and officials are “looking very carefully” at the law passed by Parliament last week to force a delay in Brexit until Jan. 31 if Johnson can’t get a deal, Raab said.
“This is such a bad piece of legislation that we will want to test to the limit what it actually does require,” Raab said. “We will test what it legally requires and what it doesn’t require,” he said, before adding that “of course he’s not going to break the law.”
Farage Offers Pact With Tory Brexiteers (Earlier)
Nigel Farage, leader of the U.K.’s Brexit Party, will offer a “non-aggression pact” to Johnson to boost his chances of securing a majority in a general election.
The Brexit Party would not stand candidates against committed Tory Brexiteers who opposed Theresa May’s Brexit deal, Farage said in an interview with the Sunday Times.
The pact could lead to a collective majority of up to 100, he said. Farage also has no intention of fighting cabinet Brexiteers such as Home Secretary Priti Patel, he said, nor would he seek a formal coalition with the Conservatives in the event of an election. Instead, he would push for a deal that allowed “extremely strong co-operation” on Brexit.
Earlier:
Britain’s Steve Bannon Is Tearing Johnson’s Tories Apart
U.K. Opposition Parties to Deny Johnson Bid for October Election
To contact the reporter on this story: Thomas Penny in London at [email protected]
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at [email protected], Srinivasan Sivabalan, James Amott
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