Boris Johnson humiliated as MPs take control in historic vote

Johnson will table a motion for election after rebels won vote aimed at stopping a no-deal Brexit.

Boris Johnson speaks after losing the historic vote. Picture: AP.

British MPs have won a crucial vote to take control of the Commons agenda on Thursday to push through legislation aimed at stopping a no-deal Brexit.

In a humiliation for Boris Johnson the vote - the first he has faced as Prime Minister - was passed 328 to 301, a much greater than expected majority of 27. In total, 21 Tories voted against the government, among them some of the Tories’ biggest names including Sir Nicholas Soames, Winston Churchill’s grandson and former chancellor Ken Clarke.

The vote means legislation forcing Mr Johnson to secure a three month Brexit delay is likely to pass on Thursday.

Boris Johnson immediately confirmed he would table a motion to call a general election under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act.

He said the vote meant parliament was “on the brink of wrecking any deal that we might be able to get in Brussels”. The bill, he said, would “hand control” of Brexit negotiations to the EU and bring “more dither, more delay, more confusion.”

The Prime Minister said he did not want an election but if MPs voted for the bill on Thursday the public would have to decide who went to Brussels on October 17.

“Everyone will know that if I am Prime Minister, I will go to Brussels, I will go for a deal and get a deal but if they won’t do a deal we will leave anyway on 31 October,” he told the Commons.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Labour would support an early election motion, after the bill ruling out a no-deal Brexit was passed.

Mr Corbyn tweeted: “We’ll support a vote to call a General Election, so the people can decide our country’s future, once the Bill to stop No Deal is law.”

Tonight we defeated Boris Johnson in his first Commons test and tomorrow we will legislate against his disastrous No Deal plans.

We'll support a vote to call a General Election, so the people can decide our country's future, once the Bill to stop No Deal is law.

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) September 3, 2019

The government had hoped the threat of expulsion would force rebel MPs to change their minds and vote with the government. Once it became clear that more than expected had voted with opposition parties, the chief whip began ringing around rebel MPs telling them they were having the whip withdrawn. .

An hour after the historic vote, leading rebel Philip Hammond, the former chancellor confirmed he had the whip removed. Sir Nicholas Soames and Ken Clarke told the BBC they would stand down at the next election after losing the whip.

Johnson loses majority

Earlier, Mr Johnson was delivered an early blow when one of his MPs defected to the Liberal Democrats, losing him his majority in the House.

The Conservative Chief Whip also began calling in rebel Tories to warn he would remove the whip from them within hours.

Phillip Lee crossed the floor as the Prime Minister began addressing MPs in the Chamber, accusing Mr Johnson’s administration of “aggressively pursuing a damaging Brexit in unprincipled ways”.

The government was “putting lives and livelihoods at risk unnecessarily and it is wantonly endangering the integrity of the United Kingdom”, he said.

Mr Bercow’s decision to allow the debate could allow MPs to push legislation through parliament to force Mr Johnson to ask for a three month delay to Bexit rather than leave the EU without a deal on October 31.

In a further twist, it has emerged that Mr Johnson approved the plan to prorogue parliament two weeks before he announced it. The details of when he decided to suspend parliament were heard at the Edinburgh Court of Sessions, where MPs are arguing the suspension is illegal and unconstitutional.

As the debate on no-deal began, former British chancellor Philip Hammond warned Mr Johnson there were enough Tory rebels to vote against the government to help block a no-deal Brexit.

“Now is the time where we have to put the national interests ahead of threats to us personally and our careers,” Mr Hammond said.

“There will be enough people to get this over the line today.”

Tory MPs believe about a dozen or so rebels could be enough to win the vote, although that number could be affected by pro-Brexit Labour MPs voting with the government or abstaining.

If the opposition coalition win, a group of 17 Labour MPs will call for the last version of Theresa May’s withdrawal bill to be put to the vote in parliament. The MPs say in a statement that parliament is being forced to choose between extremes and should be able to leave the EU but avoid a no-deal.

Breaking -This is the full statement from the group calling themselves '⁦@UKLabour⁩ for a deal' They say parliament is being forced to choose between extremes. they want the(post-labour talks) Withdrawal Agreement legislation tabled again so MPs can avoid no deal but leave pic.twitter.com/KPt4cHWO4F

— iain watson (@iainjwatson) September 3, 2019

Lib Dem Brexit spokesman told the Commons colleagues in Brussels had told him there was “total radio silence” from the UK with regards to Brexit negotiations.

Politicians’ future on the line

Among the high-profile MPs planning to defy the whip are Sir Nicholas Soames, the grandson of Winston Churchill, former chancellor Philip Hammond and Rory Stewart, the former international development secretary.

The rebels have been warned that if they vote against the government they will lose the vote and be barred from selection in a future election; effectively destroying their political careers. The move will also take Mr Johnson’s government into a minority government.

Government chief whip Mark Spencer has started to call in declared Tory rebels to say: I’m afraid I am going to have to remove the whip from you tonight

— Nicholas Watt (@nicholaswatt) September 3, 2019

Earlier, Mr Hammond warned the Prime Minister he faced the “fight of a lifetime” if he tried to stop him from standing again in an election, after he was re-selected by his constituency on Monday night.

Another rebel, Dominic Grieve, the former attorney-general, has accused Mr Johnson of jeopardising the Conservative Party’s survival with the threat to expel dissenting MPs.

Mr Hammond said government whips were running “an aggressive operation, threatening people” but that he and other party colleagues “feel very strongly now is a time to put the national interest first”.

“All sorts of threats are being made,” he told the BBC last night. “Eight current cabinet ministers have voted against the whip on Brexit and it would be rank hypocrisy to withdraw the whip today.”

Johnson to call snap election

No. 10 has warned that if the government loses the vote, expected at 7.00am (AEST), Mr Johnson would on Thursday (AEST) table a motion for a snap election. This would mean Britain heading for its third general election in fewer than five years. However it now appears unlikely that he would get the two thirds majority required to call an election after a Labour front bencher said the party might abstain or vote against. Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry told Sky the party wanted to see the bill delaying Brexit passed before an election was called.

Mr Johnson warned the Commons if the coalition of Tory rebels and opposition parties succeeded in preventing a no-deal, it would “destroy any chance of a negotiation for a new deal” and allow “Brussels to dictate the terms of a negotiation”.

Mr Johnson said on Tuesday that he did not want to send voters back to the ballot box but told MPs he would seek an election on Oct­ober 14 if they moved to block a no-deal exit on Wednesday.

In a speech from Downing Street, he said such a move by MPs would “chop the legs out from under the UK” and make any further negotiation impossible. “I want everybody to know — there are no circumstances in which I will ask Brussels to delay,” he said.

“We are leaving on 31 October, no ifs or buts.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he was “delighted” at the prospect in a statement that appeared to remove any chance he could withhold support for the election, which needs the backing of two-thirds of MPs to be triggered.

Although Mr Johnson em­phasised repeatedly at an emergency cabinet meeting that he did not want an election, some ministers believe he is resigned to its inevitability. Anxious to avoid the blame for precipitating another election, Mr Johnson cast his statement as an appeal to Conservative colleagues.

“Let our negotiators get on with their work without that sword of Damocles over their necks,” he said.

“And without an election, which I don’t want and you don’t want.”

Although some cabinet ministers expressed concerns at the gamble, with Conservatives vulnerable to attacks from the Brexit Party and a resurgent Liberal Democrats, others were bullish.

“We don’t have the numbers — it’s as simple as that. We must ­acknowledge that rather than live in purgatory,” one said.

If Mr Johnson loses an election on October 14, he will become the shortest-serving prime minister in history. That record is held by ­George Canning, who managed 119 days in No 10 in 1827.

With The Times