Boris Johnson must apologise to the Queen and the British public, Jeremy Corbyn says

Labour leader adds he will not support early election until Number 10 abides by request for Brexit deadline extension

Jeremy Corbyn has called on Boris Johnson to apologise to the Queen and the British people after the Supreme Court ruled he had unlawfully suspended parliament to prevent MPs from scrutinising his Brexit plans.

As the prime minister dashed back to Westminster amid calls for his resignation, the Labour leader also made clear he would not support a general election until Number 10 abides by MPs' request for a Brexit extension.

In his first appearance on Radio 4's Today programme since the 2017 general election campaign, Mr Corbyn said the prime minister "should apologise to her [the Queen] for the advice he gave her, but more importantly the British people".

"I would have thought it would have been pretty obvious that the course the PM was set on was very risky and an affront to our democracy," the Labour leader added as he questioned the advice of government lawyers.

He added that Mr Johnson had "clearly abused the power he has in the royal prerogative and attempted to close down parliament".

Despite urging the prime minister to "consider his position", Mr Corbyn rejected immediate calls for a motion of no confidence to tabled in Mr Johnson's government, and insisted he would not support an early election until a no-deal Brexit is "off the table".

He continued: "Until it is very clear that the application will be made, per the legislation, to the EU to extend our membership to at least January, we will continue pushing for that and that is our priority. When that has been achieved we will then be ready with a motion of no confidence."

The Labour leader also said his party would not back any motion for a short recess for the duration of the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, which is due to begin on Sunday.

“I won’t support anything that shuts down parliament until it is absolutely clear that the government will abide by the law and apply for an extension," he said.

Mr Corbyn's remarks came moments after Michael Gove, the cabinet minister in charge of no-deal planning, refused to say whether the government would apologise to the Commons today when they return to the chamber today.

"I don't think the government should apologise for having a strong domestic agenda, I don't think we should apologise also for seeking to advance our exit from the EU," he said.

"Of course if people feel the government is doing the wrong thing there is an option open to parliament, and that option is to call a general election."