SNP pushes for a compromise caretaker PM to oust Johnson
●Opposition leaders meet today in bid to break deadlock before confidence vote
The SNP will warn Labour and the Liberal Democrats they must compromise on a candidate to lead a “government of national unity” as pressure builds to oust Boris Johnson and ensure that Brexit is delayed.
Opposition leaders will meet today to discuss how to thwart a no-deal Brexit, with the parties deadlocked over who should lead a caretaker administration after a vote of no-confidence in Mr Johnson’s government.
With Conservatives in Manchester for their party conference, opposition MPS are expected to use parliamentary tactics at Westminster to disrupt the gathering and put pressure on the government over its refusal to push back the 31 October Brexit deadline.
Nicola Sturgeon indicated last week that she would be willing to put Jeremy Corbyn into No10 Downing Street as leader of a government of national unity, in order to request a Brexit delay from the EU and call an election.
But Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson has ruled out backing Mr Corbyn, and both she and the Labour leader
are resisting SNP pressure for a swift confidence vote to oust the Prime Minister.
A senior SNP source said finding a neutral, “nonthreatening” figure who could appeal to all opposition parties and Tory rebels would be a focus of talks.
Because they are already expected to stand down at the next general election, attention has turned to Ken Clarke, who was expelled from the parliamentary Conservative Party, and particularly Margaret Beckett, the veteran Labour MP.
But with Mr Johnson insisting he will not extend Article 50 despite legislation requiring a delay to prevent no-deal, Nationalists are prepared to be “robust” in today’s meeting and demand compromise from other parties.
Addressing Mr Corbyn’s role in a caretaker government, the SNP source said: “We understand the constitutional reality that, as Leader of the Opposition, he is first in line. But if other parties aren’t going to accept him, then it isn’t going to happen and Corbyn has to come round to accept that.
“We are desperate to get Boris Johnson out and ensure that there’s a mechanism to prevent a chaotic no-deal Brexit. The other opposition parties have got to face up to their responsibilities on this. We’re not precious, and they can’t be precious either.”
Labour’s shadow education secretary Angela Rayner dampened expectations that Labour could support a motion of no confidence this week.
“What we’ve said quite clearly is that we need to make sure that we get no deal averted,” she told the BBC’S Andrew Marr show.
“Jeremy Corbyn is really clear. He wants to make sure we don’t go off a cliff edge.”
Last night Arlene Foster, the leader of the government’s DUP allies, appeared to rule out the best chance of rescuing a Brexit deal with a compromise on the controversial Irish border backstop, telling a fringe event that she would not accept further regulatory divergence between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
Asked if her party would accept an all-ireland customs area to prevent new checks on trade along the border, Ms Foster said: “No. We’ve been very clear about all of that. Some people don’t understand that, when we set out our position, we mean it.
“The whole raison d’etre of the DUP is the Union.”
It came as Commons leader Jacob Rees-mogg highlighted the importance of the DUP’S support to any new deal.
He said: “I think if the DUP is happy with the deal, there’ll be very few Conservatives, including those who are without the whip, who are then against a deal, and at that point there are a number of people in other parties who think, ‘Yes, we must now just finish this’.”
Mr Johnson insisted yesterday there was still a “good chance” of securing a Brexit deal but suggested EU leaders would reject any extension request from a “truculent” UK.
Appearing on the Marr show, the prime minister side stepped the question of whether he had asked the Euro sceptic Hungarian leader Viktor Orban to veto an extension.
“I’m not going to get into my discussions with any other EU head of state about the negotiations because they are extremely interesting but they are also delicate.
“It is certainly true that other EU countries also don’t want this thing to keep dragging on.”
Mr Johnson dismissed speculation that he could stand down as Prime Minister rather than request a Brexit extension, allowing opposition parties to take responsibility for the delay.
“I’ve undertaken to lead my party and the country at a difficult time and I’m going to continue to do that. I believe it’s my responsibility to do that.”
Mr Johnson added that the “best thing for the country and for people’s overall psychological health would be to get Brexit done.”
Speaking in Manchester, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay warned that any Brexit delay “puts our United Kingdom at risk ... encouraging the Scottish Nationalists that if one referendum can be ignored, then so too can the 2014 referendum on the integrity of the UK itself.”
Michael Gove said he believes a no-deal Brexit would cause “some turbulence” but warned that not leaving the EU would damage democracy for longer.
The minister in charge of nodeal preparations also predicted that no other countries would follow Britain in leaving the EU, although he suggested that the bloc would look “very different” in the next 10 to 20 years.
“It is certainly true that other EU countries also don’t want this thing to keep dragging on”
BORIS JOHNSON
Watching American President Donald Trump ride roughshod over democratic norms, peddle lies about opponents and deny evident truths about himself provokes the question of why fellow Republicans are happy to keep quiet, to indulge his appalling behaviour.
The exasperated witness wonders why GOP members of the Senate and the House of Representatives don’t look to their consciences and conclude that they have a moral duty to call out Trump’s excesses.
The only viable explanations would appear to be that those politicians either heartily support their president’s hateful and divisive rhetoric or that they prefer to keep quiet and save their own political skins.
Neither reason is especially comforting.
The same question about keeping quiet while a leader runs out of control now applies to members of the Conservative Party under the leadership of Boris Johnson.
The Prime Minister’s behaviour becomes more Trump-like by the day.
And those acolytes who either ignore or seek to excuse his outrageous excesses are no better than the Republicans who meekly accept the worst of Mr Trump.
Over the weekend, we witnessed the unedifying sight of Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers dismissing legitimate questions about the provision of public funds to a company owned by a young woman who was personally close to Mr Johnson during his time as London mayor. An investigation into this matter was, said Ms Villiers, politically motivated.
Even if that were so, it has no impact on whether the Prime Minister has questions to answer about money granted to Jennifer Arcuri’s company.
It is quite clear that Mr Johnson does have questions to answer and Ms Villiers attempt to deflect from this matter was grubby, indeed.
Yesterday, asked whether he had declared an interest – under the Greater London Authority’s code of conduct – when public funds were being given to Ms Arcuri’s company, the Prime Minister said no conflict of interest existed.
This was a far from satisfactory response to a serious question about the integrity of the occupant of 10 Downing Street.
Also of concern is Mr Johnson’s continued use of deeply inflammatory language on the subject of Brexit.
Interviewed by the BBC’S Andrew Marr yesterday morning, the Prime Minister frequently referred to legislation preventing a no-deal Brexit as “the surrender Bill”. This deliberate attempt to paint opponents of his reckless plans as unpatriotic is shameful.
There must now be Cabinet ministers and senior backbenchers who know that Mr Johnson is leading the Conservative Party and the country along a dangerous path.
If they continue to excuse his behaviour, they are no better than those republicans who have allowed Mr Trump to poison American politics.
While Mr Johnson’s Conservatives continue their annual conference in Manchester, today opposition parties will meet to discuss the possibility of ousting the Prime Minister and installing a caretaker in his place.
The Scotsman believes that the appointment of a temporary Prime Minister in order to ensure that a damaging no-deal Brexit may be avoided is a plan with some merit.
But we also sympathise with those who feel Jeremy Corbyn is the wrong choice for the role.
This being so, we hope all opposition politicians involved in today’s discussions will enter into them with minds open to other possibilities.
The Prime Minister has staked his career on Brexit by 31 October, deal or no deal.
For the good of the economy, any attempt by Mr Johnson to take the United Kingdom out of Europe without a workable agreement must be thwarted.