‘The Prime Minister must give effect to the will of the nation’
Parliament’s duty is to deliver on result of Brexit referendum, Rees-mogg tells Johnson’s opponents
MPS trying to thwart Brexit were last night accused of risking a “constitutional crisis” by the minister who personally asked the Queen to suspend Parliament for five weeks.
Jacob Rees-mogg, the Leader of the Commons, hit back at those who accused Boris Johnson of being un- democratic, reminding them Parliament’s duty was, in the words of the constitutional expert AV Dicey, to “give effect to the will … of the nation” – which had chosen to leave the EU.
Mr Johnson’s decision to prorogue Parliament from the second week of September until October 14 prompted a furious response from Remainers, who vowed to block a no-deal Brexit by any means possible. Protesters took to the streets in Westminster and around the country.
Ruth Davidson, the Europhile leader of the Scottish Conservatives, will today announce her decision to resign in a direct challenge to Mr Johnson’s authority that will put pressure on Remain-supporting Cabinet ministers to follow suit. Amber Rudd, the Work and Pensions Secretary, was said by friends to be “disappointed” with the Prime Minister’s decision to impose the longest suspension of Parliament since 1945, but would not quit “while there was still a chance of a deal” with the EU.
Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said during the Tory leadership campaign that proroguing Parliament to achieve Brexit would mean “the end of the Conservative Party as a serious party of government”, while Nicky Morgan, the Culture Secretary, previously said such a move would be “mad”.
Both are understood to be staying in the Cabinet in the hope that the tactic pressures the EU into agreeing a deal.
There is growing optimism at No 10 that EU leaders may finally be willing to negotiate over the backstop, after positive meetings with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron.
An acceptance that Mr Johnson is serious about no deal is also believed to have helped bring around European leaders to the idea of fresh talks. But moves to take no deal off the table by Remainer MPS could jeopardise this progress, Downing Street feared.
Yesterday’s move to prorogue Parliament may be interpreted as sending a message to the EU that MPS may not be able to thwart Brexit as some European governments believe. Mr Johnson insisted his decision to end the parliamentary session was taken in order to bring forward a Queen’s Speech on Oct 14 that will enable him to set out his own domestic legislative agenda.
But John Bercow, the Speaker, described the move as a “constitutional outrage” designed to stop Parliament debating Brexit and left little doubt that he would use his powers to ensure that MPS had a chance to prevent it.
Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, wrote to the Queen asking to meet her to discuss the issue and MPS from opposition parties said they would write
to the Monarch asking her to reconsider the decision to grant Mr Johnson’s request. When the Commons returns next week, Mr Johnson will face attempts to pass legislation blocking Brexit on Oct 31 and extending Article 50. If that fails, Mr Corbyn will table a confidence vote in an attempt to bring down the Government.
But Mr Rees-mogg, writing today in The Daily Telegraph, said MPS trying to prevent Brexit were the unconstitutional ones. He said: “There is no constitutional crisis except that caused by those who voted for the referendum, then supported the use of Article 50 and backed the Withdrawal Act.
“Every one of these had comfortable Parliamentary majorities, often backed by those who now cry out that following a plebiscite is undemocratic. This is untrue and unconstitutional.”
Mr Rees-mogg flew to Balmoral with Baroness Evans, the Leader of the Lords, and Mark Spencer, the Chief Whip, as the Privy Council representatives given the task of formally asking the Queen to prorogue Parliament.
Mr Johnson, who had spoken to the Queen by telephone earlier in the day, said it was “completely untrue” to suggest Brexit was the reason for his decision, insisting he needed a Queen’s Speech to set out a “very exciting agenda” of domestic policy. He also denied the move was to pave the way for an early general election. But he said it would allow him to bring forward legislation for a new Withdrawal Agreement if a deal could be done with Brussels around the time of the European Council summit on Oct 17.
He added there would be “ample time” for MPS to “debate the EU, Brexit, and all the other issues.”
The Commons was expected to sit for the first two weeks of September and then break for party conference season, although MPS had been planning to vote against leaving Westminster for the gatherings to allow more time to consider Brexit. Instead the Commons breaks up between Sept 9 and Sept 12, not returning until Oct 14.
In Scotland, friends of Ms Davidson said her decision to quit was driven by her desire to spend more time with her 10-month-old son Finn, although she has been at loggerheads with Mr Johnson over Brexit. The timing of the announcement could hardly have been worse for the Prime Minister.
Her resignation is a major blow to the Tories as she oversaw the party’s revival in Scotland after years in the political wilderness, and has already increased speculation that the Scottish Tories could become separate party.
European politicians reacted to the day’s events by saying there was an “illness” in British democracy.