'Absolutely outrageous': What Boris Johnson's cabinet ministers once said about proroguing parliament

‘A policy on Brexit to prorogue parliament would mean the end of the Conservative Party as a serious party of government’

Prime minister Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend parliament for more than a month in the run-up to Brexit has immediately drawn fierce opposition from MPs on all sides of the Commons.

Opponents of a no-deal Brexit branded the move a “coup” against parliament, with Commons speaker John Bercow accusing Mr Johnson of an assault on democracy and Scotland’s first minister likening his decision to that of “a tin pot dictator”.

But with the issue hotly contested during the Tory leadership race, what have his own cabinet ministers said about the possibility of “proroguing” parliament in the past?

Sajid Javid – Chancellor of the Exchequer

As one of the key candidates in the race to become PM while Mr Johnson continually refused to rule out proroguing parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit, Sajid Javid voiced fierce opposition to the idea.

During a Channel 4 debate, the now-Chancellor of the Exchequer said: ”You don’t deliver on democracy by trashing democracy.

“We are not selecting a dictator of our country, we are selecting a prime minister of our country.”

Matt Hancock – Health Secretary

Mr Johnson’s health secretary was so strongly opposed to the idea that he wrote to parliament urging his fellow MPs to oppose it.

He warned such a Brexit strategy “would mean the end of the Conservative Party as a serious party of government”.

As reported by The Independent‘s political sketch writer, Tom Peck, Mr Hancock later told the BBC the decision would dishonour those who lost their lives on D-Day.

“That goes against everything that those men who waded on to those beaches fought and died for and I will not have it,” he said.

Michael Gove - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Mr Gove was one of the first to adopt the new party line – that the PM had pursued an order from the Queen to prorogue parliament merely to set out an agenda for a new Britain, rather than run down the clock to 31 October.

But he had previously told the BBC’s Andrew Marr: “I think it will be wrong for many reasons. I think it would not be true to the best traditions of British democracy.”

Amber Rudd – Work and Pensions Secretary

Ms Rudd chose to back Jeremy Hunt as prime minister, who ran a more moderate leadership bid. The work and pensions secretary questioned Mr Johnson’s “do or die” attitude, and called suspending parliament “absolutely outrageous”.

She told Sky News that she felt “just as strongly” as Rory Stewart on the subject, who had suggested he would set up a temporary alternative parliament in the event of the Commons’ suspension.

“The idea of leaving the EU to take back more control into parliament and to consider the idea of closing parliament to do that is the most extraordinary idea I’ve ever heard. It is a ridiculous suggestion to consider proroguing parliament

Andrea Leadsom - Business Secretary

Despite voicing strong support for Boris Johnson during his bid for Downing Street, Ms Leadsom was asked on the Today programme if she would support a move to prorogue parliament.

“No I don’t believe I would and I don’t believe it would happen,” she said. “It’s certainly not something I would seek to do. I’m passionate about parliament democracy.’

Nicky Morgan – Culture Secretary

For Ms Morgan, the idea of asking the Queen to approve an order shutting down Brexit was “clearly a mad suggestion”.

She told an audience on Question Time: “You cannot say you are going to take back control ... and then go: ‘Oh, by the way, we are just going to shut Parliament down for a couple of months, so we are just going to drift out on a no deal’.”

Ms Morgan warned suspended parliament “would lead to a constitutional crisis”.

As a result, the culture secretary said that she would back a legal challenge to prorogation led by former Conservative prime minister Sir John Major if it would stop a no-deal Brexit.

“I’m very pleased that we have a past prime minister like Sir John who is still willing to stick his head above the parapet and say ‘I would not put up with this,” she told ITV in July.

Mr Major confirmed on Thursday he is seeking advice in launching legal proceedings against the government.

Gina Miller – the lawyer who previously won a supreme court case ruling on the legality of the government alone triggering Article 50 – has already filed an application to do the same.

Boris Johnson – Prime Minister

While the PM repeatedly refused to rule out proroguing parliament during the leadership race, he did assure sections of his party that it was not his preferred choice.

Writing to One Nation Conservatives, Mr Johnson said: “I would also like to make absolutely clear that I am not attracted to arcane procedures such as the prorogation of parliament.

“As someone who aspires to be prime minister of a democratic nation, I believe in finding consensus in the House of Commons.”

Additional reporting by PA