Boris Johnson to face fresh humiliation as Labour rejects new bid for October general election

Emily Thornberry insists party is desperate for an early poll 'in our hearts, in our bones' – but could not trust 'a dishonest prime minister'

Labour has confirmed it will vote down Boris Johnson’s next attempt to trigger an October general election, guaranteeing he will suffer another damaging defeat on Monday.

Emily Thornberry, the party’s shadow foreign secretary, said it was desperate for an early poll “in our hearts, in our bones” – but could not trust “a dishonest prime minister”.

Jeremy Corbyn has been persuaded to wait until an Article 50 extension, to prevent a no-deal Brexit on 31 October, has been signed and sealed by EU leaders at a summit on 17-18 October.

Mr Johnson says he wants the election two days earlier – but opposition parties fear he would retain the power to suddenly shift the date until after the UK has crashed out of the EU.

The temptation to hold off on election has been strengthened by his vow to lie “dead in a ditch” rather than agree to a Brexit delay, threatening the prime minister with humiliation if he has forced to do exactly that.

“No, we’re not going to support Boris Johnson,” Ms Thornberry told the BBC’s Question Time programme.

Speaking today, she added: “No matter what it is that Boris Johnson promises, it is up to him to advise the Queen when the general election should be.

“Given that he has shown himself to be a manifest liar, and somebody who has said that he would 'die in a ditch' rather than stop no-deal – and indeed his adviser (Dominic) Cummings has been swearing and shouting at MPs saying 'They are leaving on the 31st, no matter what’ – our first priority has to be that we must stop no-deal and we must make sure that is going to happen.”

Ms Thornberry also poured cold water on suggestions of a vote of no confidence next week, arguing there was not time with parliament to be suspended for five weeks, from early next week.

“As far as I can see, looking at the rules it would be difficult for us to have a success vote of no confidence,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Labour figures are licking their lips at the prospect of Mr Johnson’s poll lead vanishing if he has failed to take the UK out of the EU by his Halloween deadline.

An ICM poll suggested support for Nigel Farage’s Brexit party would double from 9 per cent to 18 per cent if an election takes place after that date.

Commissioned by Represent Us, which supports a Final Say referendum, it found the Conservatives and Labour would be neck and neck on 28 per cent in a November poll.

Two-thirds of MPs must vote in favour to overturn the fixed term parliaments act on Monday, meaning Mr Johnson needs the help of his opponents to reach the magic figure of 434.

He could introduce a one-line bill to bypass the act, but this could be amended – and would force him to delay his controversial plans to prorogue parliament for five weeks from early next week.

Talks between the opposition parties on how to handle Monday’s vote will continue, but all appear united in opposing an early poll.