Boris Johnson news: Government tells public to ‘get ready’ in £100m advertising blitz amid slew of dire no-deal warnings
Follow how the day in Westminster unfolded
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson has called for the UK and EU to “step up the tempo” on Brexit talks, with No 10’s team of negotiators set to meet their counterparts in Brussels twice a week next month as the 31 October deadline looms.
It comes as former prime minister Sir John Major announced he would join a legal bid to block Mr Johnson’s move to suspend parliament for almost five weeks.
As rebel Tory MPs threaten to join opposition efforts to prevent a no-deal Brexit, organisers are hoping “hundreds of thousands” of people will take part in disruptive protests against the prorogation over the weekend.
Change UK MP Anna Soubry has accused the Boris Johnson's chief whip of attempting to "fool" the public by claiming the government is looking to secure an EU deal:
The Port of Calais is to stage a no-deal Brexit rehearsal to test new systems ahead of the UK's anticipated departure from the EU on 31 October.
Cabinet minister Michael Gove is to witness the practice run during a visit to France this afternoon.
French Minister of Action and Public Accounts Gerald Darmanin will meet the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster at the port to view the operation, officials for France's government have announced.
Gove will tour the site and see how passengers' vehicles are inspected and commercial traffic is managed as part of new systems being tested out, according to the notice.
French authorities have reportedly recruited 700 additional customs officials and upgraded their technology in an effort to ensure the smooth transit of goods in and out of the European Union after the UK leaves.
The judiciary has announced further details of next week's hearing into Gina Miller's application for a judicial review of Boris Johnson's decision to prorogue parliament.
A spokesman said: "A hearing into an application for Judicial Review received from Gina Miller with the Prime Minister as defendant has been fixed for Thursday 5 September 2019 at the Divisional Court in Court 4 at the Royal Courts of Justice, with the Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett presiding.
“The court will first consider the request for the case to be heard, and if it agrees, a full hearing will follow the same day.
"Further information will be given early next week."
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has stuck the boot in to his government counterpart, Sajid Javid, over reports he was not informed Dominic Cummings was to sack his media adviser:
The head of Ireland's road haulage association has called for "calm heads" in the coming weeks amid the looming prospect of a no-deal Brexit.
The president of the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA), Verona Murphy, warned "alarmist or incendiary" remarks would be seized on by hardline pro-Brexit MPs in the UK.
She called on industry bodies and political commentators to "exercise high levels of sensitivity" in their public comments.
In a statement, Murphy said: "There has been a substantial amount of work carried out to prepare for a range of eventualities on Brexit, including a no-deal Brexit.
"The IRHA, along with national retailers, exporters and agencies, have been involved in a range of discussions with government departments and agencies to ensure that all possible contingency measures are in place to deal with Brexit.
"It is vitally important that we concentrate on the finalisation of our preparations in a focused, clear and determined manner.
"It is also important that commentators, whether from the political or business sectors, do not give succour to those within the British government who are intent on trying to create havoc and disruption through their determination to crash out of the EU without a deal.
"We can be demanding and exacting of the government agencies to ensure that they are adequately prepared for Brexit without feeding the chaos lust of the hard Brexiteers in Westminster."
A no-deal Brexit could trigger months of dissident republican violence in Northern Ireland, a police commander has warned.
Assistant chief constable Barbara Gray said it was too simplistic to attribute the recent spate of dissident attacks to Brexit, but said it would likely became a motivating factor for extremists in the event of a disorderly exit from the EU,
Gray, who heads up the Police Service of Northern Ireland's counter-terrorism response, said: "We predict that a six to 12-month period, if there's a no-deal Brexit, that there could be an upsurge in violence.
Gray revealed 10 murder plots have been foiled in the last two years, on top of recent attacks including the murder of journalist Lyra McKee in April.
"We will be prepared and we will be very ready for any potential upsurge in violence that may happen after Brexit," she said.
"Anything that brings the border issue into question in Northern Ireland brings tension.
"I think in the last few weeks, probably since the new Cabinet, the new PM and his announcements [about the exit date] that 'this is October 31, this is what we're looking at', I think generally you can almost feel at bit of anxiety rising across society."
Northern Irish police are attempting to combat the threat from several dissident groups.
The New IRA is the largest but a recent bomb blast in Co Fermanagh blamed on the Continuity IRA demonstrated the threat still posed by that group.
Detectives also consider the smaller Arm na Poblachta and Irish Republican Movement as risks to national security.
In joining the High Court action by Gina Miller, Jo Swinson, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: "The attempt to shut down parliament is an anti-democratic, authoritarian power grab by Boris Johnson, who wants to silence the people and their representatives.
"The Liberal Democrats are doing all we can, both in the courts and in Parliament, to prevent both the shutdown of our democracy and a no-deal Brexit.
"That's why I'll be joining the High Court judicial review launched by Gina Miller."
Here's Tom Peck's sketch on the damage the prime minister is doing to trust in politics:
Mike Pence's visit to Ireland next week is set to be brought forward to Monday.
The US vice president's two-day trip to Dublin and County Clare was originally scheduled for Friday and Saturday next week.
However, after the White House announced that Mr Pence would be travelling to Poland this weekend in place of Donald Trump, the vice president will be in Europe earlier than expected.
The White House previously confirmed said that Mr Pence would be in the UK on 4 and 5 September to discuss Brexit, Iran and the "threat of Chinese malign influence", and that he would travel to Ireland to meet the Michael D Higgins, the Irish president, and Leo Varadkar, the Irish taoiseach.
The White House said that during his trip to Ireland, the vice president would voice the United States's "commitment to maintaining peace, prosperity, and stability in Ireland by upholding the Good Friday Agreement".
He would also discuss trade, investment and strengthening the economic relationship between the two nations.
Michael Gove has arrived at the Port of Calais as it stages a no-deal Brexit rehearsal to test new systems ahead of the UK's anticipated departure from the EU on 31 October.
Gerald Darmanin, the French minister of action and public accounts, welcomed the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to the port on Friday afternoon.
Press access to the visit has been restricted, with the Cabinet Office saying Mr Gove would not be making any comment on the matter.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments