Johnson set to face more resignations as Hammond eyes the exit
●Chancellor prepares to quit this week ●Further Cabinet departures expected
Boris Johnson is facing the prospect of fresh Cabinet resignations if he is confirmed tomorrow, as expected, as the new Tory leader after Chancellor Philip Hammond dramatically announced he would be standing down.
Mr Hammond said he could not serve in a Johnson administration that was prepared to accept a no-deal
Brexit to break the stalemate over the
UK’S EU depar- ture.
His revelation yesterday on live television came after fellow Cabinet Remainer, Justice Secretary David Gauke, said he would quit this week rather than serve under Mr Johnson, branding a no-deal Brexit a national “humiliation”.
Further departures are expected. Former leadership candidate and International Development Secretary Rory Stewart is among the likely resignations, while defence minister Tobias Ellwood prompted speculation about his future by refusing to say if he would serve under Mr Johnson.
The new Tory leader will be unveiled tomorrow morning, with Mr Johnson the overwhelming favourite to beat rival Jeremy Hunt.
Although Mr Johnson will inherit a Cabinet shorn of several key posts, most of those departing are likely to have been axed anyway over their opposition to a no-deal Brexit. The frontrunner to replace Theresa May had warned Cabinet ministers during the Tory leadership hustings they should be ready to commit to a no-deal scenario. Mr Hammond, who has been in No 11 Downing Street for three years, has been a vocal critic of a no-deal Brexit – something Mr Johnson has vowed to implement if he cannot secure changes to the Withdrawal Agreement.
Asked on the BBC’S The Andrew Marr Show if he thought he would be sacked, Mr Hammond said: “No, I’m sure I’m not going to be sacked because I’m going to resign before
we get to that point. Assuming that Boris Johnson becomes the next prime minister, I understand that his conditions for serving in his government would include accepting a no-deal exit on the 31st October and it’s not something that I could ever sign up to.
“It’s very important that the prime minister is able to have a chancellor who is closely aligned with him in terms of policy and I therefore intend to resign to Theresa May before she goes to the palace to tender her own resignation on Wednesday.”
It comes after Mr Gauke – a former Remainer – told a national newspaper he would also quit on Wednesday if Mr Johnson enters No 10.
Mr Gauke said: “If the test of loyalty to stay in the Cabinet is a commitment to support nodeal on 31 October, which, to be fair to him, Boris has consistently said, then that’s not something I’m prepared to sign up to.
“I recognise that this spell in government is coming to an end. Given that I’ve been in the Cabinet since Theresa May came to power, I think the appropriate thing is for me to resign to her.” Mr Hammond, who is dubbed “Spreadsheet Phil” due to his dry image, had been widely expected to leave office when Mrs May steps down on Wednesday.
Last week, he put down a marker about his willingness to cause trouble on the backbenches for the next prime minister as he and three other Cabinet ministers backed a measure aimed at preventing Mr Johnson suspending Parliament in order to force through a no-deal Brexit.
The Chancellor, Mr Gauke, Mr Stewart and business secretary Greg Clark did not support the government in the vote.
He has previously promised to do “everything” in his power to block a no-deal Brexit and last week left open the possibility of voting to bring down a Conservative government led by Mr Johnson if the UK was on course to crash out of the EU without a deal on 31 October.
Asked by Marr whether he would vote against the new prime minister in a vote of noconfidence, Mr Hammond said: “I don’t think it will get to that and, while many clever people have been scratching their heads, parliamentary process is extraordinarily complex and sometimes arcane.
“I am confident that Parliament does have a way of preventing a no-deal exit on 31 October without parliamentary consent and I intend to work with others to ensure Parliament uses its power to make sure that the new government can’t do that.
“The point of that is not to inflict some defeat on the new government. It is to ensure that the new government focuses then on trying to achieve a sensible, negotiated settlement with the EU that protects our economy and allows us all to get on with our lives.”
Earlier, Mr Ellwood repeatedly sidestepped questions over whether he would serve in a government led by Mr Johnson.
“I really get frustrated with this energy towards no deal,” he said. “I know all my parliamentary colleagues on all sides of the House recognise the dangers of no deal. The fact that we keep talking about it, it isn’t a solution.”
Shadow chancellor John Mcdonnell warned that a nodeal Brexit would “devastate” the UK economy. “The Conservatives have bungled the Brexit negotiations, dragged down the economy and put jobs at risk,” he said.
“They are now on the brink of appointing a prime minister that their own Chancellor believes would be a danger to the economy and the wellbeing of everyone in the UK.
“Boris Johnson’s no-deal Brexit would devastate the UK economy and the public finances, compounding nine years of failure to manage our economy.”
SNP push for crossparty stance to avoid no-deal being the default position on Brexit
Scott Macnab
A cross-party uprising among MPS in the Commons is poised to block Boris Johnson driving through a no-deal Brexit or “shutting down” Parliament to secure Britain’s EU departure.
The SNP’S Westminster leader Ian Blackford says talks are taking place among MPS seeking to block a no-deal scenario by enshrining this in law.
It comes amid growing concerns over the prospect of leaving without a deal if Mr Johnson becomes prime minister, meaning costly tariffs on goods and checks on exports crossing into the EU from the UK.
Mr Blackford insisted that a no-deal Brexit was not the most likely outcome despite Mr Johnson warning he is prepared to accept this to end the stalemate with the EU.
“I accept that that is the default position, that is what the legislation allows, but I’m now pretty convinced that Parliament will do it’s job,” Mr Blackford told BBC Scotland’s Sunday Politics Scotland.
“It will stop Boris Johnson proroguing Parliament. It will stop Boris Johnson driving us out on a no-deal.”
He added: “There is, I believe, a very clear majority in Parliament that wants to stop a no-deal.
“We’re talking across the chamber, it’s right that we should be doing that.
“We need to be able to bring a motion to Parliament that would have authority, would allow us then to present a Bill that can stop Boris Johnson gong forward and pushing through no deal.
“We believe that we can do that.” The initiative will not gather until pace until MPS return from their summer recess, which gets under way next week and lasts until in September.
“It’s a pity that we’re going into recess the day after the Prime Minister is being appointed,” Mr Blackford said.
“But we’ll have that opportunity in the autumn and I’m more confident that there is that desire, cross-party in the House of Commons that no deal would be absolutely catastrophic for everyone.”
Among the options being considered are the prospect of bringing forward legislation which would amend the EU Withdrawal Act.
“It would strike out no-deal as a default position,” the senior Nationalist MP said. “It’s up to Parliament to do this because I think it’s in all our interests that we stop no-deal and we in the SNP will certainly work collectively with others to make sure that’s what will happen.
“I’m certainly more hopeful on the basis of what happened last week.”
MPS amended legislation last week to prevent Parliament being “prorogued” by the government – effectively shut down – and legislation to block no-deal means a further extension to the UK’S withdrawal from the EU beyond 31 October.
Mr Blackford said: “If Parliament gives that signal that no deal is not acceptable, I would expect the EU to take account of that.”