Boris Johnson news: Outrage over PM’s Jo Cox Brexit comments, as he dismisses MPs’ fears of death threats and ignores calls to quit
Wednesday's explosive Commons session, as it happened
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Boris Johnson has put in a defiant Commons performance in the wake of his Supreme Court defeat, ignoring calls to resign and mocking Labour for failing to back a general election. But he drew anger for suggesting that the best way of honouring Jo Cox’s memory was to “get Brexit done”.
The prime minister accused MPs of “political cowardice” and demanded parliament “step aside” to allow him to deliver Brexit. He attacked Jeremy Corbyn for claiming to want a general election but voting against it – as Labour’s Hilary Benn said the PM had “no mandate, no majority, no credibility”.
But the flashpoint of the evening was Mr Johnson’s refusal to tone down his language around what he has called the “surrender bill” – the Benn legislation designed to block no-deal Brexit – and his decision to dismiss complaints by MPs that they have been subjected to death threats as “humbug”.
After repeated calls to moderate his words, the PM further said, in response to the new MP for Batley and Spen, Tracy Brabin, that he believed “the best way to honour the memory of Jo Cox and indeed the best to bring this country together would be, I think, to get Brexit done”.
MPs reacted with fury, while Ms Cox’s widower Brendan said he felt “a bit sick at Jo’s name being used in this way”. Mr Johnson even faced rebukes from his own side, with cabinet minister Nicky Morgan tweeting that “at a time of strong feelings we all need to remind ourselves of the effect of everything we say on those watching us”.
But there were angry and borderline abusive contributions from MPs across the House on the first day back since prorogation was ruled unlawful.
The bad-tempered clashes came after attorney general Geoffrey Cox said he would consider publishing the legal advice which led to the unlawful prorogation, but also railed against the “dead parliament” and claimed MPs had no “moral right” to remain in the Commons.
He, the prime minister and Jacob Rees-Mogg all taunted Labour for failing to vote for a general election. Jeremy Corbyn and Mr Johnson sparred over the issue on which they have each imposed their own conditions; an Article 50 extension and leaving the EU, respectively.
Tomorrow, the government will introduce a motion seeking a conference recess for next week.
Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative MP, tweeted at the end of the night: “Not sure we can look the nation in the eye & say that was a good day at the office. The maths is simple. This is a minority Gov. We need a couple dozen friends to support a Brexit deal. There was nothing friendly about today. Let’s learn from this.”
See how we covered this story live
The justice secretary Robert Buckland has moved to defend the judiciary in the wake of the Supreme Court decision over the suspension of parliament.
In a tweet he said: “Personal attacks on judges from any quarter are completely unacceptable.”
Ian Blackford, leader of the SNP in Westminster, said his party would support Jeremy Corbyn becoming “interim” prime minister – as long as his only job was to call a general election.
Asked by the BBC whether he would back Labour leader Corbyn to succeed Boris Johnson after a successful no-confidence vote, he said: “I’m less concerned about the individual.”
He added: “I think it is fair to say that, in such a scenario, the official leader of the Opposition is the first point of contact as far as that is concerned.
“But we are only talking about putting someone in place in order to call an election. On that basis, I wouldn’t be opposed to that [Corbyn being interim PM].”
A new ComRes poll for The Telegraph found that 50 per cent of voters agreed with the Supreme Court decision, while only 29 per cent disagreed.
It’s almost exactly the same proportion as a YouGov poll on the ruling.
Former attorney general Dominic Grieve called for cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg to resign, saying he had “totally failed in his duties” as leader of the Commons.
Rees-Mogg reportedly described the Supreme Court ruling on prorogation as a “constitutional coup” in a cabinet conference call on Tuesday evening.
But Grieve told Sky News: “It is absolutely nothing of the kind. The only constitutional coup that has taken place is that Jacob Rees-Mogg, who is the leader of the Commons - one of his jobs is to stand up for the rights of the House of Commons within government - completely and total failed in his duties.
“He is the one who should be resigning.”
Grieve also said that Dominic Cummings should be removed as Boris Johnson’s senior adviser.
“Dominic Cummings is totally unfit to be an adviser in government,” said Grieve, who lost the Tory whip after rebelling over Brexit. “He has a long track record of appalling behaviour, including being found to be in contempt of the House of Commons.
“He should never have been employed. It says something about Boris Johnson’s attitude that he was willing to have Dominic Cummings as an adviser.”
Boris Johnson is a “zombie prime minister” who must leave office, according to the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford.
Opposition politicians have been calling for Johnson to resign after the UK’s highest court ruled that his suspension of parliament was unlawful.
“This is unprecedented in our parliamentary history,” Blackford told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme.
“The government is trying to brush this off as just an inconvenience, it simply isn’t good enough.
“He has shut down Parliament in a manner which is unlawful and he needs to be held to account for that. They really have to accept responsibility as to why they have behaved in a manner which is unlawful.
“When you put this into a broader context that this is a zombie prime minister, a zombie government, doesn’t have a majority, he’s lost six votes in the short time that he’s been prime minister - he needs to go. We need to have a general election.”
Asked about Johnson’s attempts to hold an early general election, the SNP Westminster leader described it as a “poisoned chalice”.
According to the BBC’s Northern Ireland correspondent, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have restricted annual leave in October and November because of the uncertainty over Brexit.
Boris Johnson is back in Britain to face the music. The PM’s RAF Voyager has just touched down.
Michael Gove has just compared Boris Johnson to the Manchester City manager.
As Boris Johnson lands at Heathrow, his decision to fly to and from New York on an RAF wide-bodied Airbus jet has been condemned by climate campaigners. Our travel correspondent Simon Calder has more.
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