Ken Clarke willing to be caretaker PM to stop no-deal Brexit as rebel Tories reject Corbyn’s plan to serve

Veteran Conservative says he will take on stopgap role if asked as Labour leader’s prospects recede

Ken Clarke has said he is willing to be a caretaker prime minister to stop a no-deal Brexit, as rebel Tories appeared to dash Jeremy Corbyn’s hopes of getting the job.

The veteran former Conservative chancellor – nominated as a stopgap by the Liberal Democrats – said a so-called “government of national unity” might be necessary to thwart Boris Johnson.

“I wouldn’t reject it, if it was the judgement of people that it was the only way forward,” Mr Clarke said.

Meanwhile the Labour leader has became embroiled in a war of words with the Liberal Democrats after its leader Jo Swinson rejected his dramatic proposal as “nonsense”.

On a visit to Wales, Mr Corbyn stuck to his insistence of first right to attempt to lead an “emergency government” if the prime minister can be defeated in a vote of no confidence next month.

He has vowed to call an immediate general election once the threat of a no-deal on 31 October has been averted in a bid to win the trust of other opposition parties and anti-no-deal Conservatives.

The Labour leader struck out at the Lib Dem leader, saying: “It’s not up to Jo Swinson to choose candidates, it’s not up to Jo Swinson to decide who the next prime minister is going to be.

“Surely she must recognise she is a leader of one of the opposition parties who are apparently opposed to this government, and apparently prepared to support a motion of no confidence.”

Politicians who were “making noise in the media” about stopping a no-deal Brexit should be ready to support him in order to prevent its “damaging” impact.

The comments came as Dominic Grieve, a senior pro-Remain Tory MP, dealt another blow to Labour Party plans: “I am not about to facilitate Jeremy Corbyn’s arrival in Downing Street.”

Mr Grieve’s rejection was swiftly followed by a tweet from David Gauke, another leading potential Conservative rebel, saying: “If anyone thinks the answer is Jeremy Corbyn, I think they’re probably asking the wrong question.”

A former Labour MP, John Woodcock, now sitting as an independent, also poured scorn on “this wheeze” and claimed Mr Corbyn would rat on his promise to campaign for a Final Say referendum at the election.

And Mr Clarke said previous unity governments had not been led by the opposition leader and stressed his preference for passing legislation to block a no deal.

However, he added: “A government of national unity is not inconceivable. We are in a similar situation to 1931 and – rather wildly – to the two world wars when the same thing happened.”

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, accused Ms Swinson of being the “single biggest obstacle to stopping no deal”, by opposing Mr Corbyn taking temporary charge.

Success was most likely from “forming a short-term government of national unity in order to get an extension of Article 50 and trigger a general election,” he said in a letter.

Vince Cable said the Lib Dems wanted a guarantee from Mr Corbyn that if he could not win backing in the Commons to be the caretaker prime minister he would support another candidate.

“I urge him to do the right thing and confirm that if he cannot, he will support someone who can,” Sir Vince said.