Boris stands firm amid language row
BORIS JOHNSON has stood firm and refused to apologise after he sparked fury when he told MPs they should honour the memory of murdered parliamentarian Jo Cox by delivering Brexit.
The Prime Minister ignored questions from journalists as he left a meeting of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, and Downing Street declined to say sorry for his words in the Commons on Wednesday.
There was uproar in Parliament when the Prime Minister repeatedly berated MPs, rejected calls to temper his language and said the best way to honour Mrs Cox – an ardent Remainer – was to “get Brexit done”.
Commons Speaker John Bercow pleaded with parliamentarians on all sides to tackle the “toxic” political culture, and said the House “did itself no credit” in the angry exchanges which followed the Prime Minister’s statement.
As MPs returned to the Commons yesterday morning, Mr Bercow said: “There was an atmosphere in the chamber worse than any I’ve known in my 22 years in the House.
“On both sides passions were inflamed, angry words uttered, the culture was toxic.”
He told them to “lower the decibel level and to try to treat each other as opponents, not as enemies”.
Mr Johnson was asked whether he would apologise for his language as he left the meeting of the 1922 Committee, but refused to answer. However, a senior Conservative MP told the PA news agency that the PM had “clarified” his words during his address to Tory MPs.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman also declined to apologise, telling a Westminster briefing: “The PM obviously made the broader point last night that he believes we need to get the issue of Brexit resolved because it was causing anxiety and ill-feeling in the country.”
Asked if Mr Johnson’s comments risked fuelling a bad reaction, the spokesman said: “The PM is very clear that whatever their views, no MPs or anyone else in public life should face threats or intimidation. It’s completely unacceptable.”
A Downing Street insider suggested the Prime Minister would continue to refer to the Benn Act – which seeks to prevent a nodeal Brexit – as the ‘Surrender Bill’.
“If the question is ‘is he going to stop calling it a Surrender Bill’ then the answer to that is a categoric ‘no’,” the source said.
Meanwhile, MPs have rejected the Government’s request for a three-day recess to coincide with the Conservative Party conference in Manchester.
Tories had warned the economy of Manchester would be hit if opposition parties “scupper” their attempts to go ahead with their annual conference next week.
But a motion asking for the Commons to be in recess on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week was defeated by 306 votes to 289, a majority of 17.
A senior Tory source insisted the conference would go ahead anyway, but acknowledged it may have to be “scaled back” if MPs have to remain at Westminster.