Labour to put forward a vote once party believes it can win

Abbott:

A confidence vote in Boris Johnson will be put forward once Labour believes it can win it, according to Diane Abbott.

The shadow home secretary said it was “above my pay grade” to confirm whether the opposition’s bid to test MPs’ level of support for the prime minister would take place immediately after Parliament returns in early September.

But she confirmed talks are taking place with other parties in Parliament after claiming Mr Johnson’s “bogus unfunded announcements” on law and order, among others, are costing him support.

Her remarks came after a leading thinktank warned that MPs may have little chance of stopping Mr Johnson pushing through a no-deal Brexit when Parliament returns.

The Institute for Government said MPs may have limited opportunities to stop a no-deal break and that, even if Mr Johnson loses a confidence vote, he may still try to plough on regardless.

The findings echo the reported view of the prime minister’s top adviser, Dominic Cummings, who is said to have told him that opponents of no-deal had left it too late.

Mr Johnson has said he is committed to taking Britain out of the EU by the deadline of October 31, whether or not he can get a deal with Brussels.

He is expected to speak with several leaders of EU states in the coming days, and is understood to be considering travelling to meet some leaders for face-to-face talks ahead of the G7 summit at the end of the month.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, appearing on Today, also maintained that crashing out of the EU would be chaos as he noted: “I have consistently argued that point and I still do that.”