Boris Johnson news – LIVE: No 10 ‘cancels staff leave to prepare for no-deal’ as fears of chaotic Brexit mount
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Jeremy Corbyn called on cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill to rule that the prime minister cannot go ahead with a no-deal Brexit if there is a general election, saying it would be an “anti-democratic abuse of power”.
Andy McDonald, shadow cabinet secretary, called on Sir Mark to be the “voice of sanity” if Boris Johnson tries to push ahead with no deal despite losing a confidence vote in the Commons.
It came as transport minister George Freeman suggested a no-deal exit would be an “absolute disaster” which would keep the Tories “out of office for two decades”. The Conservatives were accused of “breaking the economy” after GDP figures showed the UK economy shrank.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan warned Boris Johnson the Metropolitan Police is "under-resourced and over-stretched" and needs more police officers urgently to deal with knife crime.
His plea to the prime minister came just days after a 28-year-old policeman was seriously injured when he was attacked by a man with a machete in Leyton, east London.
And foreign secretary Dominic Raab called for an independent investigation into recent events in Hong Kong during a phone call with the city's chief executive.
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The chancellor Sajid Javid has been repeating his line that “the fundamentals of the UK economy remain very strong”.
Boris Johnson has been accused of "breaking the economy" with continued threats of a no-deal Brexit and mounting fears the UK could face its first recession in a decade. It comes as GDP shrank by 0.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2019 as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) latest figures on the state of the economy showed the first contraction since 2012. Reacting to the dire figures, Sajid Javid, the chancellor, insisted the "fundamentals" of the British economy remained strong, but admitted that it was a "challenging period" across the globe.
More from Sajid Javid. The chancellor has said that he is not “frightened” at the prospect of a no-deal Brexit on October 31.
“Throughout government we are doing everything we can to prepare for a no-deal exit. If it comes to no-deal, it is not anything I am frightened of,” he told Sky News.
“I am confident that if that is what it comes to, we will not just get through it, the UK will end up stronger and more resilient. It is something that we can deal with.”
Javid acknowledged some sectors, such as the food and automotive industries, would be affected but said there was still time to put in place plans to protect them.
“There is a lot of work that we can do in the time that we have got to make sure that we are better prepared and cushion them form potentially any temporary impact that it might have.”
Glasgow has been chosen as the UK city to host a major UN climate change summit next year – if the UK’s bid to secure the presidency and host the COP26 is successful.
The government said the conference would be hosted at Glasgow’s Scottish Events Campus (SEC) over two weeks at the end of 2020 in partnership with Italy, if the joint bid is given the go-ahead.
Five years on from the Paris Agreement, the COP26 Climate Change Conference is the first major test of the international community’s commitment to scale-up efforts to reduce emissions over time.
Former energy minister Claire Perry, recently named the UK nominated president for COP26 by Boris Johnson, said: “As one of the UK’s most sustainable cities, with a record for hosting high-profile international events, Glasgow is the right choice to showcase the UK’s commitment to the environment.”
Conservative chairman James Cleverly recently promised an inquiry on Islamophobia in the Tory party.
Labour MP Wes Streeting says the Tories must accept the definition of Islamophobia agreed by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APGG) on British Muslims.
Scottish Labour’s most senior official has stood down after 12 years working for the party.
Brian Roy announced his resignation on Friday, having been the party’s general secretary for the last five years. In a statement, Roy said it was time for him to “move on to new challenges”.
He said: “It has been a privilege to work with Labour prime ministers and a Labour first minister, with many leaders in between, and I sincerely wish Richard Leonard and Jeremy Corbyn the very best as they prepare to win again as a party of government.”
The Scottish Labour party has been rowing with the leadership in London over shadow chancellor John McDonnell’s claims that the party would not block a second independence referendum.
The Astronomer Royal, Professor Martin Rees, is the latest scientist to have a go at Boris Johnson’s willingness to plunge the UK out of the EU without a deal.
“Brexit has a special downside for science because science is an enterprise that is especially international and collaborative. The UK has traditionally been welcoming, and its scientific strength benefits hugely from the participation of EU citizens,” he said in a statement.
“Even if visas are readily available, highly skilled people are only willing to settle if they know there is freedom of movement for families. Cutting the vexatious form-filling now needed to apply for a Tier 1 Visa is of course a welcome move, but its effect will be no more than marginal - and far outweighed by the negative impact of Brexit itself.”
He added: “And incidentally it’s absurd to suggest that post Brexit we will develop stronger links with the rest of the world. We’re doing this anyway and it would be harder to attract top scientists post-Brexit because we'll be perceived as a less attractive destination.”
“What is more we were explicitly promised that we would get a ‘good deal’ when, in fact, we are now being faced with the catastrophic prospect of No Deal. There is no democratic legitimacy for such a proposal, and it is outrageous there is now an attempt to force it upon us.”
Professor Brian Cox, the BBC broadcaster, physicist and former D:Ream keyboardist, has suggested that “idiots with opinions” should “shut up and listen” to the experts when it comes to top scientists’ fears over Brexit.
More angry words over scientists and Brexit. This time Tory party chairman James Cleverly having a go at Labour MP David Lammy. Who was having a go at Boris Johnson.
All government special advisers – better known as spads – have had their annual leave cancelled until after 31 October, according to Politico.
One of Boris Johnson’s most senior aides Eddie Lister emailed them to say there would be no summer holidays, with so much Brexit preparations to put in place.
Anyone with trips already booked will be compensated, apparently.
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