Boris Johnson news – LIVE: No 10 ‘cancels staff leave to prepare for no-deal’ as fears of chaotic Brexit mount

Follow all the latest developments as they happened

Prime Minister Boris Johnson repeats his Brexit plans: 'We are going to leave the EU on the 31 October'

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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Key Points

• Corbyn asks cabinet secretary to rule out no-deal Brexit during election
• Labour says Sir Mark Sedwill should be 'voice of sanity'
• Tories accused of 'breaking the economy' as GDP shrinks 0.2 per cent
• Tory minister says no-deal Brexit would be 'absolute disaster'
• PM tells civil service 31 October exit his his 'top priority'
• Sadiq Khan warns PM Metropolitan Police needs more officers quickly
• Foreign secretary calls for independent investigation into Hong Kong

[9 August 2019 20:15 · Chiara.Giordano]

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab called for an independent investigation into recent events in Hong Kong in a telephone call with the city’s chief executive.

Speaking on Friday before departing Mexico, Mr Raab told the Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam that he condemned violence on all sides.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “The foreign secretary has called Carrie Lam to discuss his concerns about the situation in Hong Kong, and the protests there.

“The foreign secretary condemned violent acts by all sides but emphasised the right to peaceful protest, noting that hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong people had chosen this route to express their views. He underlined that the violence should not cloud the lawful actions of the majority.

“[He] emphasised the need to find a way forward through meaningful political dialogue, and a fully independent investigation into recent events as a way to build trust.”