SNP urge opposition parties to ‘step up’ to remove Boris Johnson

Ian Blackford speaking in the House of Commons - Credit: Parliament Live

The SNP’s Ian Blackford has called on opposition parties in Westminster to unite to remove Boris Johnson from Downing Street.

The party’s Westminster leader told MPs during Prime Minister’s Questions that the SNP “stand ready” to “bring this dangerous government down”.

He has called on opposition MPs – including Labour, Lib Dems and the Independent Group for Change – to “step up at this moment of national crisis” to “prepare a vote of no confidence, ensure a Brexit extension, prevent a no deal and call a general election”.

He added: “This government must be stopped. I’m looking now at colleagues on opposition benches and I urge them we must unite, we must stop this prime minister by removing him from office.

“The SNP stand ready to bring this government down, other parties need to step up at this moment of national crisis. Prepare a vote of no confidence, ensure a Brexit extension, prevent a no deal and call a general election. Doing nothing is not an option, we must act.”

He added: “It’s not a case of if but when we will bring this dangerous government down.”

Standing in for Johnson at PMQs, foreign secretary Dominic Raab accused Blackford of “sounding like he’s all mouth and no trousers”.

Raab added that “he had the chance to vote for a general election and he turned it down, he had the chance to avoid no deal and the best chance now is to back this government in securing a good deal”.

Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson and Independent Group for Change leader Anna Soubry have rejected the possibility of Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn becoming a caretaker prime minister.