John Bercow vows to fight Boris Johnson ‘with every breath’ to stop proroguing of parliament
House of Commons Speaker John Bercow in the House of Commons. - Credit: PA Wire/PA Images
Speaker John Bercow warned he 'will fight with every breath in my body' any attempt by the PM to suspend parliament to force through no-deal against MPs' wishes.
Bercow told an audience at the Edinburgh Fringe festival that he "strongly" believes the House of Commons "must have its way", in remarks reported by the Herald newspaper.
"And if there is an attempt to circumvent, to bypass or - God forbid - to close down parliament, that is anathema to me," he said.
"I will fight with every breath in my body to stop that happening."
Amber Rudd, the work and pensions secretary, also argued that government must not work against MPs by proroguing parliament.
You may also want to watch:
"I will play my part in cabinet and privately with the prime minister and with ministers in arguing strongly for respecting parliamentary sovereignty," she told the BBC.
MORE: 'There is no reason Brexit cannot be reversed by a second referendum', says John Bercow"And you know, I'm a Member of Parliament, the prime minister and all cabinet members are Members of Parliament, we need to remember where our authority comes from."The comments come as former chancellor Philip Hammond warned of a "betrayal" of the Brexit referendum result if the prime minister allows a no-deal Brexit.
"Most people in this country want to see us leave in a smooth and orderly fashion that will not disrupt lives, cost jobs or diminish living standards, whether they voted Leave or Remain in 2016," he wrote.
Most Read
- 1 Labour leader defends NHS after being kicked out of pub in Bath
- 2 Opposition parties push for probe into Boris Johnson's conduct following viral video
- 3 ‘I should not have listened to Cameron’ – Former European Commission president
- 4 A chapter is over for Britain, for good or ill
- 5 The biggest scandal may be that no rules were broken
- 6 Brexit regret: Meet the Leave voters who wish they hadn't voted Leave
- 7 Scottish Tory leader accused of 'nonsense' excuse for Boris Johnson avoiding Scotland
- 8 Russell Kane: Why working class people like Boris Johnson
- 9 Welsh government refused permission for legal challenge over post-Brexit bill
- 10 The deep-seated issues beneath Sofagate
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.