Boris Johnson news: Defiant PM refuses to drop ‘surrender bill’ language, after he is lauded by far right and loses seventh Commons vote
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Boris Johnson has refused to back down on his use of the phrase “surrender bill” to refer to anti-no-deal Brexit legislation, after he prompted widespread condemnation by telling MPs they should honour the memory of Jo Cox by delivering Brexit.
But he admitted in a TV interview there was a need to “bring people together, and get this thing done”. Mr Johnson did not turn up to face MPs’ outrage in the Commons on Thursday, after he had dismissed warnings of death threats made against them as “humbug”.
His own sister Rachel Johnson described his remarks as “highly reprehensible”, but far-right activists hailed his comments as “brilliant”. The row comes as the PM lost a vote on holding a recess for the Tory party conference: his seventh straight defeat in the Commons.
Tone was the topic of the day in Westminster as MPs of all stripes admitted they had failed to remain civil amid the chaos of Brexit.
There were mutters of “hear, hear” as John Bercow told the Commons it had done itself no credit during last night’s fractious debate, while the Equality and Human Rights Commission was forced to step in and remind politicians of the advice they were given, in the wake of the Brexit referendum three years ago, to be respectful when discussing the subject.
The PM’s top adviser, Dominic Cummings, said it was not surprising that the public was angry about Brexit and that ”a lot of people in parliament are more out of touch with the country now, than they were in summer 2016”.
He added: ”People on all sides have said things that veered between unwise and very unpleasant, and sometimes criminal. That is true of people of the Leave side and that’s true of people on the Remain side.”
In Brussels, Mr Johnson was given some breathing room when the European Commission said it had not endorsed the negotiating deadline of next week that had been set by Emmanuel Macron. It came as member states’ disquiet grew over the lack of proposals from the UK.
But the good news was limited on a day in which the PM lost his seventh consecutive Commons vote, asking for a recess to allow the Conservative Party conference to take place – maintaining his 100 per cent loss record.
See how we covered the day’s events live
This, from culture secretary Nicky Morgan, is the closest a member of the government has come to condemning Boris Johnson’s behaviour in the Commons.
Luciana Berger, who joined the Lib Dems after leaving Labour, will give up her Liverpool constituency to fight for a London seat once held by Margaret Thatcher.
The campaigner against antisemitism will contest the seat of Finchley and Golders Green in North London at the next election.
“As a family, we have had to make a decision about how best to navigate work and raising our young children. After a great deal of thought, we have decided that after the next election – whenever that will be – we will relocate full time to London.”
So, we’re expecting Labour MP Jess Phillips to ask Boris Johnson about his use of language when MPs return to the Commons this morning.
Speaker John Bercow kicks off today’s proceedings in the Commons, saying of yesterday: “The House did itself no credit. There was an atmosphere in the chamber worse than anything I’ve known in 22 years in the House. The culture was toxic.”
Bercow says two senior members of the House have approached him to have a “formal consideration of our political culture”.
The Speaker sounds very keen to help make that happen, but says it will be up to his successor to take it forward.
He asks MPs to “lower the decibel level” and treat each other “as opponents and not as enemies”.
Labour MP Matthew Pennycook – an ardent Remainer – has announced he is quitting as a shadow Brexit minister.
He has written to Jeremy Corbyn stating: “I now want the opportunity to focus my efforts on campaigning vigorously for that public vote and unequivocally for the UK to stay in the EU when it is secured.”
Labour MP Ian Murray asks whether the government will obey the law and the Benn Act in particular – the law that requires Boris Johnson to ask for a Brexit extension by 19 October.
He calls the actions of the prime minister a “national embarrassment”.
Tory MP James Duddridge, a Brexit minister, answers for the government by saying: “We will obey the law … and we will obey the law at every stage and turn of this process.”
Labour MP Harriet Harman confirms she and Tory MP Ken Clarke – the mother and father of the House – were the senior MPs who asked John Bercow about setting up a possible inquiry into the “toxic” culture in the Commons.
Despite all the warnings against violent rhetoric, Tory MP Edward Leigh has just made a very strange comparison between the Benn bill and murder. He suggests the bill is open to interpretation.
“Most laws are relatively easy of interpretation because they prevent you doing something, rather than make you do something ... they prevent you murdering your wife, they don’t make you love your wife.”
Jo Cox’s sister says she was “mesmerised and dumbstuck” by what she watch in parliament last night.
“I think the prime minister needs to be very careful about the language he uses,” Kim Leadbeater told Sky News.
“I think the humbug comment was wrong and I think to use Jo’s name in that way was wrong. What I hope is that he has some time to reflect on that and think about it.”
“I think there is a tipping where the level of civility and the level of respect becomes unacceptable – unfortunately we witnessed that in the chamber last night.”
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