You’ve poked the hornets’ nest, Bercow allies warn Johnson
ALLIES of John Bercow have warned Boris Johnson that he has “poked the hornets’ nest” by proroguing Parliament, amid claims that the Speaker will help Remainers to rapidly pass legislation to block a no-deal Brexit.
With opposition parties determined to seize control of parliamentary business as early as next Tuesday, sources close to Mr Bercow say he is ready to “facilitate” their plans. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph last night, a close friend of Mr Bercow said the hopes of Europhile MPS now rested on him, adding: “It’s now or never.”
The Speaker yesterday reacted furiously to the news that Mr Johnson had requested the Queen prorogue Parliament as early as Sept 9, potentially leaving MPS with four days to stop no deal.
Mr Bercow called the move a “constitutional outrage” and a “blindingly obvious attempt” to “stop Parliament debating Brexit and performing its duty”. In a statement, he said “shutting down Parliament would be an offence against the democratic process”.
He said: “Surely at this early stage in his premiership, the Prime Minister should be seeking to establish rather than undermine his democratic credentials and indeed his commitment to Parliamentary democracy.”
The unprecedented intervention by the Speaker, who is required to be politically neutral, fuelled speculation that he was gearing up for a monumental clash with the Government when Parliament reconvenes next week. Mr Bercow said two weeks ago he would fight any attempt to prorogue Parliament “with every bone in my body”.
Before an audience in Edinburgh, the Speaker said that closing down Parliament was “anathema to me”, adding: “Parliament will be heard and nobody is going to get away, as far as I am concerned, with stopping that happening.”
An ally said they would be “amazed” if Mr Bercow did not give approval to an application for an emergency debate on Tuesday, which if granted would be used by MPS to try to take control of the Commons order paper to allow backbench legislation to be pushed through both Commons and Lords within the narrow window before Parliament is prorogued. It would mirror a plan successfully executed by Labour’s Yvette Cooper and Tory grandee Sir Oliver Letwin this year, which required the Government to extend Article 50.
“I think his statement was a pretty strong signal that he will facilitate an SO24 debate,” the source said last night. “Boris has poked the hornets’ nest. [The Speaker] is going to be in the chair, there’s no doubt about that.
“We’re going to have to be super quick in terms of what legislation can be passed. We will have to use every possible opportunity to make use of the time available. It’s now or never.”
JOHN BERCOW ‘Shutting down Parliament would be an offence against the democratic process’
JEREMY CORBYN ‘An outrage and a threat to our democracy’
‘Surely at this early stage in his premiership, the Prime Minister should be seeking to establish rather than undermine his democratic credentials’
Yesterday, Jeremy Corbyn claimed his first act upon returning to Parliament would be to “try and legislate” to thwart Mr Johnson’s plans. Labour insiders said they were keeping a confidence motion in reserve in case legislative efforts failed. Last night, Mr Corbyn requested an urgent meeting with the Queen to reverse the order, describing Mr Johnson’s move as a “smash and grab on our democracy”.
Jo Swinson, the Lib Dem leader, also wrote, stating prorogation was an “antidemocratic plan” to “stifle” the will of Parliament. But within hours of the letters being sent, a statement confirmed the Queen had agreed to suspend Parliament after a delegation of privy counsellors led by Jacob Rees-mogg, the Commons Leader, went to Balmoral to seek agreement to the plan.
Last night some Tory rebels signalled they may be prepared to vote to topple the Government as a last-ditch attempt to stop the UK leaving the European Union without an agreement. They included Dominic Grieve, the former attorney general, who said if it was “impossible to prevent prorogation”, he would find it “very difficult” to prop up the Government.
Others, including David Gauke, the former justice secretary, Stephen Hammond, the former health minister, and Antoinette Sandbach, MP for Eddisbury, called Mr Johnson’s decision “undemocratic”. But another prominent Tory Remainer suggested only “three or four” colleagues would ultimately be willing to topple the Government.
A senior Lib Dem source said the party remained convinced that a confidence vote would fail if it meant Labour forming a “caretaker” government. Instead, they claimed Remain MPS were focused on pushing through “Cooperletwin 2.0”, adding that the legislation was ready to be “put down next week”.
The Telegraph reported yesterday that Philip Hammond, the former chancellor, intends to play a key role in pushing through legislation. And a senior SNP MP, who described Mr Hammond as “an absolute star”, said: “I don’t underestimate what we’re up against with [No10 chief strategist Dominic] Cummings and his merry men. I do believe we have a majority and can stop them.”
Ian Blackford, Westminster leader of the SNP, laid an early day motion calling for a Humble Address – a direct call from the Commons to the Monarch – to ask that Parliament remain in session until November. If backed, the address would ask the Queen to “please reconsider your decision”.
And in an ominous warning, Kate Osamor, the Labour MP, said: “The Queen should look at what happened to her cousin Tino, ex-king of Greece, when you enable a right-wing coup! Monarchy abolished!”
Separately, the pro-remain campaign Best for Britain wrote on Twitter: “[Her Majesty] would do well to remember that history doesn’t look too kindly on royals who aid and abet the suspension of democracy.”
NIGEL FARAGE ‘The Government’s announcement … is seen as a positive move by Brexiteers’
PHILIP HAMMOND ‘It would be a constitutional outrage’
‘Her Majesty would do well to remember that history doesn’t look too kindly on royals who aid and abet the suspension of democracy’
DAVID GAUKE ‘This is a dangerous precedent’
NICOLA STURGEON ‘Boris Johnson is acting more like a dictator than a prime minister’
DOMINIC GRIEVE ‘The Prime Minister’s decision is deeply questionable and pretty outrageous’
JO SWINSON ‘It is a dangerous and unacceptable course of action’