British voters think Boris Johnson's parliament shutdown 'unacceptable', poll shows

Parliamentary sittings to be suspended for five weeks as Brexit crisis heightens

Voters have branded Boris Johnson’s suspension of parliament “unacceptable” as the prime minister locked MPs out of the House of Commons in the midst of the Brexit crisis.

In dramatic late-night scenes at Westminster, Mr Johnson forced prorogation through just minutes after a vote in which MPs denied him a snap election in the hope of ensuring he cannot engineer a no-deal outcome.

Demonstrating their frustration at the closure of parliament, opposition MPs chanted “shame on you” at the Tory benches and held placards emblazoned with the word “silenced”.

Labour also declined to join in the formal proceedings, as the speaker John Bercow told MPs that it was “not a normal prorogation”.

Earlier, the Commons voted by 311 votes to 302 to demand the release of secret memos between Mr Johnson’s aides including chief adviser Dominic Cummings, as they plotted the suspension, as well as official documents on the likely disruption caused by a no-deal Brexit.

Instead of immediately complying, Downing Street branded the demand “disproportionate and unprecedented” and indicated it will resist the papers’ release, saying only that it would “consider the implications of this vote and respond in due course”.

In a poll by BMG Research for The Independent, some 44 per cent of voters said the PM’s five-week closure of parliament was “unacceptable”, against just 36 per cent who said it was acceptable. When don’t knows were removed, the margin was a clear 55-45.

Prorogation was viewed as acceptable by 72 per cent of Tory voters and 80 per cent of those backing the Brexit Party, but as unacceptable by 69 per cent of Labour voters, 69 per cent of SNP supporters and 78 per cent of Liberal Democrats.

The shutdown of parliament until 14 October means Mr Johnson avoids having to face MPs at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, as well as dodging a grilling from senior MPs on the Commons Liaison Committee later that day, when he had been expected to face interrogation on Cummings’ role, the decision to slash the size of his Brexit negotiation team and his own defiance of the legal requirement to extend Brexit talks.

MPs will be denied the opportunity to scrutinise ministers’ conduct of talks with the EU during the critical weeks leading up to a crunch Brussels summit on 17 October, at which Mr Johnson says he is hoping to secure a deal to allow the UK to leave by the Halloween deadline.

Liaison Committee member Hilary Benn said it was “extraordinary” that the PM was shutting down parliament “at the very moment when we need our elected MPs to be in the House of Commons holding the government to account” and said he had clearly not been “relishing the prospect” of having to justify his actions to the committee.

Jeremy Corbyn condemned the suspension of the Commons as “disgraceful”.

“Parliament should be sitting, parliament should be holding the government to account and the prime minister appears to want to run away from questions,” said the Labour leader.

Meanwhile, Mr Bercow announced he will stand down as speaker on Brexit deadline day at the end of next month, effectively ensuring that his successor is elected before an election which is widely expected to produce a more Leave-leaning House of Commons that might have put a Brexit figurehead into the chair.

Mr Johnson’s failure in his second attempt to secure a general election next month will deny him the opportunity to overturn legislation blocking no-deal on 31 October, which became law by receiving royal assent from the Queen just hours before the doors of Westminster were closed. It all but guarantees an election in late November, as opposition parties indicated they will move against the PM once the Brexit date has been put back.

Speaking in the Commons ahead of losing his bid for a general election, Mr Johnson insisted that he will not request an extension of the Article 50 negotiation. “I say to the opposition benches, if you really want a delay, then vote for an election and let the people decide if we delay again or not,” Mr Johnson told MPs.

“If you refuse to do this, then I will go to Brussels on 17 October and negotiate our departure on 31 October – hopefully with a deal but without one if necessary.

“I will not ask for another delay. The public have have had enough of the delectable disputations in this house and I must warn honourable members that their conduct has gravely undermined respect for this house and country.”

Mr Corbyn said that if the PM resigned, the opposition would take over as a minority administration to extend Brexit talks to the end of January and then call a general election.

Mr Johnson struck a defiant note during a visit to Dublin, saying: “I am absolutely undaunted by whatever may take place in parliament, because I think what the British people want us to do is to deliver a deal and to get on and take us out on 31 October.”

He admitted that a no-deal outcome would be “a failure of statecraft” and said he would “overwhelmingly prefer” a deal.

But in a strained press conference, Irish premier Leo Varadkar said the PM had so far failed to provide any alternatives to the controversial backstop arrangements to keep the border with Northern Ireland open.

“We are open to alternatives, but they must be realistic ones, legally binding and workable, and we haven’t received such proposals to date,” said Mr Varadkar.

The Taoiseach said he believed the EU27 would be ready to consider an extension to Brexit talks “if there is a good reason”, but added: “I think we would all prefer to have this resolved in October.”

BMG Research questioned 1,504 British adults between 3 and 6 September.