Boris Johnson news: PM faces onslaught in parliament over Queen’s Speech, amid anger over ‘blatant attempt to rig election’

EU leaders warn Brexit deal unlikely this week

The Queen says government will 'ensure it continues to play leading role in global affairs' after Brexit

Boris Johnson has said he will not resign even if MPs vote against his legislative agenda, which was set out in the Queen’s Speech on Monday.

Downing Street also said that Mr Johnson could plough on to introduce the bills announced.

The prime minister used his first Queen’s Speech to insist that the government’s priority is to deliver Brexit by 31 October.

But elsewhere, European leaders warned that a full Brexit agreement is unlikely this week.

“I think there is no time in a practical or legal way to find an agreement before the EU Council meeting,” said Antti Rinne, the prime minister of Finland.

“We need more time and we need to have negotiations after the Council meeting.”

EU leaders will gather on Thursday and Friday for the next European Council meeting.

If Boris Johnson cannot reach a deal, attention will turn to next steps, including a possible extension.

“We are not very optimistic,” a senior EU diplomat said.

“Let’s not wait – we can’t wait: let’s get Brexit done,” Mr Johnson told parliament on Monday.

“If there could be one thing more divisive, more toxic than the first referendum, it be would be a second referendum.”

If you would like to see how the day’s events unfolded, please see what was our live coverage below:

[14 October 2019 09:57 · Ashley Cowburn]

Labour’s renationalisation plans will cost at least £196bn, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has claimed.

The party’s proposals to take water and energy utilities, train companies and the Royal Mail into public ownership would cost the equivalent of taking all income tax paid by UK citizens in a single year, according to the organisation.

And the price tag is also comparable to the combined annual spend of £141bn on the health and social care budget, and £69bn on education, CBI analysis said.

But a Labour party spokesman said: “This is incoherent scaremongering from the CBI, which is bizarrely attacking Labour for compensating shareholders both too much and too little.

“It is disappointing that the CBI seems incapable of having a grown up conversation about public ownership – which is hugely popular, and common across Europe.”

[14 October 2019 10:08 · Ashley Cowburn]

Jacob Rees-Mogg has suggested that the government could use EU law in order to force through a no-deal Brexit by the end of the month.

The Commons leader said he believed there was a "pathway to a deal" but hinted that Boris Johnson could use European legislation to get around a law compelling him to delay Brexit if there is no deal in place by next week.

Ahead of a make-or-break week for Brexit, Mr Rees-Mogg warned pro-EU MPs that "it takes two to tango" and any extension must be signed off by Brussels.

Asked how ministers could get round this legislation, Mr Rees-Mogg said: “The law of this land is subject to the law of the European Union, so we’ll have to see what the legal eagles think.”

He added: "Theresa May got an extension not through UK law, but through EU law and until the 1972 European Communities Act is repealed, EU law is superior law in the UK."

[14 October 2019 10:16 · Ashley Cowburn]

Dame Margaret Beckett, the senior Labour MP and former foreign secretary, says today's event is a "sham Queen's Speech", adding: "We all know that what the government wants is an election tomorrow."

This echoes the view of shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, who earlier referred to it as "farcical". 

Norman Fowler, the Lord Speaker, adds it is "highly unusual" for a Queen's Speech to take place in the context of the government desperate for an election. He rightly points out they occur after an election, not before one.

[14 October 2019 10:31 · Lizzy Buchan]

Ahead of the Queen's Speech, the prime minister used the morning to have his flu jab at Downing Street.

 Picture - PA Images/Jeremy Selwyn

[14 October 2019 10:42 · Lizzy Buchan]

The Queen's Speech is due to take place at around 11.30am, when the monarch will read out the government's legislative agenda for the coming session.

But what is it?

Traditions surrounding the state opening of parliament and the Queen's Speech can be traced back to the 16th century.

Filled with pomp and ceremony, it marks the start of the parliamentary year, while the Queen's Speech sets out the government's agenda and outlines its proposed policies.

The event is the only regular time when the three parts which make up parliament, the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons, come together.

The ceremony has existed in its current form since 1852, when the Palace of Westminster was rebuilt after the 1834 fire.

It begins with the Queen's procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster, where she is escorted by the army's Household Cavalry.

The 93-year-old monarch will enter Westminster through the Sovereign's entrance, located at the base of Victoria Tower, and move to robing room.

While wearing the Imperial State Crown and the Robe of State, she will lead the procession through the Royal Gallery to the House of Lords.

Black Rod, the House of Lords official, will summon the House of Commons to the Lords, but during this process the doors to the Commons chamber will be shut in her face.

It is a practice that dates back to the Civil War and is said to symbolise the Commons' independence from the monarchy.

Black Rod will have to strike the door three times before it is opened.

Members of the House of Commons then follow Black Rod and the Commons Speaker to the Lords chamber to listen to the speech.

While sitting on the throne in the House of Lords, the Queen will read the Queen's Speech, which is written by the Government.

Once the Queen leaves, parliament will go back to work, with each house meeting separately to begin debating the content of the speech.

[14 October 2019 10:56 · Lizzy Buchan]

Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney has said that a Brexit deal may still be possible this week - in a boost to the prime minister's hopes. 

[14 October 2019 11:14 · Ashley Cowburn]

Editorial: "There is a jokey one-liner circulating around social media following John McDonnell’s recent statement to GQ magazine that he and Jeremy Corbyn will step down if Labour lose the next election: “Another reason not to vote Labour.”

"It has more truth in it than Labour might like to admit, languishing as they are 10 points behind the Conservatives. Many would vote Labour if they quit before losing."

[14 October 2019 11:36 · Ashley Cowburn]

The Queen has now arrived in the House of Lords alongside her son, the Prince of Wales. She will shortly begin reading out the government's domestic agenda, written by government ministers.

[14 October 2019 11:45 · Ashley Cowburn]

The Queen is now talking. She says the government's priority has always been to secure the UK's exit from the European Union on 31st October and "size the opportunities". 

She says the government's new economic plan will maintain the sustainability of the public finances. Measures will also be brought forward to strengthen the NHS and public services, she says.

The Queen says the government will also reform the mental health act, and tackle violent crime. 

New sentencing laws will result in offenders spending longer in custody, she says, including foreign national offenders. 

[14 October 2019 11:50 · Ashley Cowburn]

The government will ensure all young people have access to a good education, she says. 

New laws will be introduced to tackle irresponsible management of private pensions scheme, the Queen adds. 

New legislation will also deliver "fast and reliable" broadband for millions of homes across the country. 

"My government is committed to establishing the UK as a world leader in science," she says. 

Ministers remain committed to protecting the environment for future generations, including measures to tackle plastic pollution and air pollution. 

Proposals will also be brought forward to protect animals, including measures to tackle so-called "trophy sports".