Boris Johnson news – live: PM loses second attempt to trigger early general election
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Your support makes all the difference.No 10 has announced that a five-week suspension parliament will begin tonight, as Boris Johnson’s flies back from his first official meeting with Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar in Dublin.
It comes as the prime minister sets up a possible Brexit showdown in the Supreme Court after it emerged No 10 is ready to launch a legal fight against the anti-no deal legislation.
Mr Johnson is also reportedly ready to send a second letter to the EU – alongside the request for a three-month delay required of him – explaining he does not actually want any delay after 31 October. Labour figures branded the plan “illegal” and “monumentally ridiculous”.
Attorney general Geoffrey Cox has called Dominic Grieve’s motion a “blunt instrument” that may not be enforceable.
He questioned what legal rights the government would have to require its employees to "give up private email accounts and personal mobiles".
Mr Grieve rejected the idea that the motion would intrude on government employees’ private communications.
He said: "These are government employees and in the course of their work it is their duty to observe the Civil Service code and to comply with its requirements including, I would respectfully suggest to my right honourable friend the attorney general, not using private means of communication to carry out official business."
Labour MP Rachel Reeves has announced she will be backing Harriet Harman as the next Speaker.
She said: “We’ve had just one woman speaker in more than 600 years - time for the second.”
The only woman to serve as Speaker is Betty Boothroyd, who served from 1992 to 2000.
This could be significant when parliament returns in October.
Sir Oliver Letwin, one of the 21 Conservative MPs who had the whip removed last week, has said he will vote for any Brexit deal that Boris Johnson brings back from the EU Council.
More from the Grieve debate – Keir Starmer has claimed it is “blindingly obvious why we are being shut down, to prevent scrutiny, as there can be no scrutiny if we are not sitting."
He added: "This government cannot take the country on a route which may end up with a no-deal exit with no details of the impact.
“This government should have the decency and courage to put the information before parliament."
Later, SNP MP Hannah Bardell accused Mr Johnson’s government of displaying "kamikaze-like" behaviour.
She said: "It is reprehensible that this government has put us in the position that we are having to fight every step of the way, through the courts and through parliament, just to get the very basic information about the impact of a no-deal Brexit…
"This government is putting the lives and health of our citizens under threat."
One of the strange things about Mr Johnson’s decision to prorogue parliament tonight is that he was scheduled to appear before the Liaison Committee on Wednesday.
That appearance has had to be cancelled because parliament will not be sitting for five weeks after Monday.
Now, Lib Dem MP Sarah Wollaston, the committee’s chairwoman, has insisted that Mr Johnson must still appear before the committee to face scrutiny.
Ms Wollaston has suggested a meeting outside of parliament could take place.
MPs are now voting on Dominic Grieve’s motion to obtain all government correspondence on the decision to prorogue parliament.
While we wait for the result, here's what Michael Gove said in his response for the government to Mr Grieve's motion.
The government is expected to lose the vote - although it is unclear whether they will be forced to hand over the information demanded.
For anyone who is confused about what MPs are voting on right now - they’re voting on a motion that calls on the government to publish all documents on “Operation Yellowhammer” (the government’s no-deal planning) and all government communications on the prorogation of parliament.
The vote on an early general election will be later this evening.
BREAKING: Dominic Grieve’s motion has passed with 311 Ayes to 302 Noes.
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