Rebel MPs plan weekend sitting to block no-deal Brexit

Tory rebels and Labour MPs plan to go to historic lengths to force an extension to the Brexit deadline.

Boris Johnson gambling on suspending parliament. Picture: AP.

Tory rebels have drawn up plans with Labour for parliament to sit over next weekend as Jacob Rees-Mogg in effect dared them to try to change the law to block a no-deal Brexit.

The MPs believe that they can seize control of business in the Commons and pass the legislation needed to force Boris Johnson to request an extension of Article 50 in only three days next week.

A senior Tory Remainer said, however, that as a “back-up” they were also trying to ensure that the Commons and the Lords could sit over the weekend of September 7-8.

Mr Rees-Mogg, leader of the Commons, appeared yesterday to taunt Remainers as he questioned whether they were prepared to block Brexit by either changing the law or voting down the government. “All these people who are wailing and gnashing of teeth know that there are two ways of doing what they want to do,” he said. “One is to change the government and the other is to change the law. If they do either of those that will then have an effect.

“If they don’t have either the courage or the gumption to do either of those then we will leave on October 31 in accordance with the referendum result.”

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A Tory Remainer hit back, saying that Mr Rees-Mogg needed to “grow up” and be “less patronising”. The Commons has sat on a Saturday on four occasions since 1939, including at the outbreak of the Second World War, during the Suez crisis of 1956 and the invasion of the Falklands in 1982.

The plans are a response to Mr Johnson’s decision to suspend parliament for a month before a Queen’s Speech on October 14, limiting the time MPs have to stop a no-deal.

The hard-left supporters of Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, have also pledged to hold mass rallies across the country. Crowds of anti-Brexit protesters are targeting MPs in their constituency offices and homes.

A senior Tory rebel told The Times that they were considering taking “total control” of the order paper on Wednesday to push through legislation to stop a no-deal. The move could force the government to shelve both Mr Johnson’s first prime minister’s questions and the spending review. The Conservative MP Sir Oliver Letwin is understood to have been drafting legislation with clerks, enabling MPs to take over the Commons order paper before parliament’s return next week.

David Gauke, a Tory rebel and former justice secretary, said yesterday that next week could be the “only opportunity” for MPs to stop a no-deal as he conceded that options have “now narrowed”.

“That would suggest we need to move sooner rather than later,” he told the BBC.

Downing Street rebuked Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, after he suggested last night that Mr Johnson’s decision to prorogue parliament had been motivated by Brexit. He was caught on camera speaking to Florence Parly, the French armed forces minister, in Helsinki. He appeared unaware that microphones were turned on.

On Wednesday the prime minister wrote to MPs to say that his decision to suspend parliament had been made to enable his government to present a new legislative agenda through a Queen’s Speech. Mr Wallace appeared to suggest that Mr Johnson’s action had been motivated by the difficulty of having “no majority” in the Commons. A No 10 source said that Mr Wallace “misspoke”.

Mr Johnson said yesterday that it was time to “up the tempo” in an attempt to reach a deal as he announced that his Brexit team would meet negotiators in Brussels twice a week next month.

Mr Corbyn said that his party would join forces with MPs from across the Commons next week to attempt to “politically stop” the prorogation of parliament. He issued a joint statement with opposition leaders demanding a vote on whether parliament should be suspended. Unless he tables legislation, however, the government would be free to ignore his request.

John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, compared Mr Johnson yesterday to a “dictator”, drawing comparisons with Nazi Germany. “I don’t think the British people will tolerate that [prorogation],” he said. “They have stood up to dictators before and they will stand up to this one as well.”

Peers opposed to no-deal are gearing up for late-night battles with the government. Brexiteer peers are expected to attempt a filibuster to delay the passage of legislation through the upper chamber. Labour peers believe they can outmanoeuvre Brexiteers. “We can see them off but we’ll have to stay up all night to do it,” a source said.

The upper chamber usually sits later than the Commons in any case. In March 2005 it sat from 11am on a Thursday until 7.30pm on Friday to discuss a counterterrorism bill.

The Times