Scottish Tory leader resigns on Boris

The leader of the Scottish Conservatives has resigned, having clashed with Boris Johnson over his plans.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson. Picture: AFP

Boris Johnson has lost the leader of the Scottish Conservatives and the Prime Minister­’s suspension of parliament faced legal challenge following a furious outcry from pro-Europeans and MPs opposed to a no-deal Brexit.

As by protocol, the Queen agreed to the Prime Minister’s request­ on Wednesday to suspend parliament in a move that could thwart attempts to stop a no-deal Brexit. The move, however, dragged the Queen into a political dispute as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn wrote to her urging her to overturn Mr Johnson’s decision.

Mr Johnson told cabinet ministers early today that Brussels was more likely to offer Britain a deal if it thought that parliament could no longer “frustrate” Brexit.

He surprised Tory rebels and opposition parties by announcing plans to prorogue parliament for a month before a Queen’s Speech on October 14, the longest suspension for more than 40 years.

It came a day after opposition parties vowed to seek legislative changes to stop a no-deal Brexit.

The Prime Minister insisted his decision to prorogue parliament was “emphatically not” about bypassing MPs. He said, however, that it would make a “huge difference” in negotiations with Brussels once the threat of MPs stopping Brexit was removed.

He said the fact Britain could leave without a deal was making them think “these guys really are serious”.

In a blow to the Prime Minister, Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson said ­tonight that she would resign, having clashed with Mr Johnson over his plans.

Ms Davidson was one of the few success stories of the 2017 election for the Conservatives, when they leapt from one seat to 13 in Scotland.

She cited the pressures of motherhood as her reason for resigning­ but has said she could not support no-deal.

Downing Street has drawn up a battle plan to frustrate rebels and opposition parties. In the event of losing a confidence vote, Mr Johnson is prepared to refuse to resign, instead calling a general election after Brexit.

Opposition parties and Conservative MPs will have four days when the House of Commons returns next week to push through legislation that would force Mr Johnson to seek an extension to the mechanism to leave the EU — article 50 — from October 31.

The pound slumped more than 1 per cent at one point but shares rose as London-listed multi­nationals stand to gain from a weaker currency.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon accused Mr Johnson of acting like a “tinpot dictator” by pushing through an “outrageous assault on basic democratic prin­ciples”. More than 70 MPs have launched a fast-track legal bid at the highest civil court in Scotland, aimed at preventing Mr Johnson from suspending parliament.

Lawyers for Gina Miller, a businesswoman and leading anti-Brexit campaigner, said they were also challenging parliament’s suspension in English courts.

Former Tory chancellor Ken Clarke described the suspension as absurd and said he would serve in a caretaker government under Mr Corbyn to avoid the “childishly disastrous mistake” of crashing out.

Speaking of Mr Johnson, he added: “He has just given in to the fanatic element of his followers and decided to go hell for leather.

“I hope it will bring together the sensible majority of parliament who will find some alternative.”

At least five Tory rebels have indicated they are prepared to vote down the government under a confidence motion as a “last resort” in an attempt to stop Mr Johnson taking Britain out of the EU without a deal.

Mr Corbyn denounced the move as “a smash-and-grab against democracy” and iterated he might call a no-confidence vote in Mr Johnson’s government, which has a majority of one seat.

Former chancellor Philip Hammond pledged to keep fighting against no deal. “It would be a constitutional outrage if parliament were prevented from holding the government to account at a time of national crisis,” he said.

Donald Trump weighed into the row by praising Mr Johnson as “great” and claiming it would be “very hard” for Mr Corbyn to topple him in a no-confidence vote.

The Labour leader shot back, tweeting Mr Johnson was “a compliant Prime Minister who will hand Britain’s public services and protections over to US corporations in a free-trade deal”.

Commons Speaker John Bercow said it was “blindingly obvious that the purpose of prorogation now would be to stop parliament debating Brexit”.

In the 2016 referendum on Britain’s EU membership, 52 per cent voted in favour of leaving the bloc, a result that has left parliament and the country divided. Mr Johnson insists Britain must leave by the October 31 deadline — already twice-delayed — with or without a divorce deal from Brussels.

Parliament has rejected three times the withdrawal agreement struck between Brussels and the government of Mr Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May.

In Paris, Britain’s Brexit Secretary, Stephen Barclay, told a business conference the EU would be blamed for a “lack of flexibility” on the backstop issue in the event of no deal.

Downing Street has taken legal advice on whether the Prime Minister can ignore MPs and refuse to request an extension of Britain’s EU membership. In another move under consideration, the government would delay seeking royal assent for any legislation requiring an article 50 extension until par­liament had been prorogued, in ­effect killing the bill.

Eurosceptic peers would be enlisted to “filibuster” in the House of Lords and delay proceedings so rebels ran out of time to get their legislation through parliament.

Government sources said they were confident the rebels and opposition would not have enough time to pass legislation to stop a no-deal Brexit. Although MPs could still try to block no-deal after the Queen’s Speech, the timing would be very tight and they might not have an opportunity until after votes on the speech had been held on October 21-22.

AFP, The Times