No-deal Brexit: Opposition leaders pledge ‘widespread resistance’ if Boris Johnson suspends parliament

Shadow chancellor says prime minister is ‘threat to democracy’ for not ruling out proroguing parliament

At least 160 MPs have signed a declaration to support stopping a no-deal Brexit “using whatever mechanism possible”.

The MPs held their meeting at Church House in Westminster, the meeting place of the Houses of Parliament during the Second World War, and signed what they are calling the Church House Declaration.

The text of the declaration reads: “Shutting down parliament would be an undemocratic outrage at such a crucial moment for our country, and a historic constitutional crisis.

“Any attempt to prevent parliament sitting, to force through a no-deal Brexit, will be met by strong and widespread democratic resistance.

“We pledge to work together across parties and across our nations to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the people’s voice is able to be heard.”

Senior opposition politicians, including John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, Jo Swinson, the Liberal Democrat leader, Ian Blackford, the SNP Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts, the Plaid Cymru Commons leader, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas and Change UK leader Anna Soubry were at the ceremony.

Mr McDonnell said Boris Johnson, the prime minister, was a “threat to democracy” for not ruling out proroguing parliament to push through a no-deal Brexit.

Independent MP Luciana Berger and Labour MP Stephen Doughty convened the meeting.

Ms Berger said she would back MPs meeting at an alternative location, such as Church House, if parliament was prorogued in order to push through a no-deal Brexit.

She said: “There are lots of things that MPs collectively can do together, and we will have to make that decision if and when that moment definitively presents itself. The challenge at the moment is the hint of prorogation. The prime minister has failed to rule it out.”

She added: “I wouldn’t purport to be an expert on [parliamentary rule book] Erskine May, but the fact that we come together in this place, where MPs have in the past come together, and it has been officially recognised, is indicative of the fact that it could take place again in the future.

“Ours is a people’s parliament. We live in a parliamentary democracy and I hope that parliamentary democracy will be respected and will continue into the decades and centuries ahead.

“We have come together because we face the hint of – the prospect of – a prime minister who might use tools like prorogation to subvert our parliamentary democracy and we will not allow that to happen.”

Mr Doughty said the declaration has “160 signatures” from MPs, and he invited other politicians of all parties to join them in signing the document.

Tom Brake, the Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson, tweeted: “@BorisJohnson you have done this.

“You’ve united the parties in the #PeoplesParliament, against your plans to shut the people, and our historic Parliament, out of one of the most critical decisions our country will take; crashing out of the EU without a deal.”

“You won’t succeed!” he added.