News and Opinion

MPs have failed to vote for Boris Johnson’s plan to hold a general election on October 15th – which required a two-thirds majority to pass. After legislation designed to prevent a no-deal Brexit cleared the House of Commons, the prime minister had told MPs that the country must go to the polls next month to […]

Labour MP Jess Phillips has launched an emotional scatching attack on Boris Johnson – and Tory MPs who allowed their colleagues to be kicked out of the party. Jess Phillips in the House of Commons. Photograph: Parliament TV. – Credit: Archant Holding back the tears of frustration, she passionately told MPs: “I want to speak […]

An online petition calling for the government not to suspend parliament will be debated next week. The petition on the official parliament website has more than 1.7 million signatures and will go before the petitions committee. A separate, pro-prorogation petition, will also be debated by the committee on Monday. The second appeal, which asks that […]

A Tory minister grilled on the new Andrew Neil show was asked six times about the UK’s proposals on the Irish backstop with the EU – and couldn’t give a straight reply. Rishi Sunak, chief secretary to the treasury and introduced as a “rising star” of the party, was unable to deflect accusations from the […]

Father of the House Ken Clarke – who has lost his status as a Tory MP – has slammed Boris Johnson moments after his government was defeated on no-deal Brexit. Boris Johnson looks unimpressed by Ken Clarke’s speech. Photograph: Parliament TV. – Credit: Archant To cheers from around the Commons, he said: “I found these […]

MPs have voted again to delay Brexit – at the third reading of the bill in the House of Commons. This time MPs voted by 327 votes to 299. The bill will now go to the House of Lords with the rebel alliance hoping that it can reach royal assent before the prime minister prorogues […]

A no-deal Brexit could seen over 10,000 lorries clog the roads around cross-Channel routes, potentially causing ‘prolonged disruption’ for more than three months, according to a leaked risk assessment. The document, which was leaked to Channel 4 news, warns of “exceptionally high volumes of traffic” on Kent roads which lead to Dover and the Channel […]

Another politician risks losing their status as a Tory MP after voting at the second reading of the Brexit delay bill. Tory MP Caroline Spelman did not vote against the government last night, but joined the rebels this evening. It meant that the revolt against Boris Johnson had grown even bigger despite Boris Johnson sacking […]

After Boris Johnson branded the anti-no-deal Brexit bill a ‘surrender bill’, Twitter users have set an alternative hashtag going. VERY important. They've branded it the "surrender bill". We need to get something else trending. The #ResistanceBill would work. https://t.co/cNuFFsg3lp— SheRa Marley-Threepwood (@SheRa_Marley) September 3, 2019 Documents leaked from Downing Street show that Tory MPs have […]

Former UKIP leader Henry Bolton has urged people to join him at a protest outside the House of Commons as MP try to force no-deal Brexit off the table. https://twitter.com/_HenryBolton/status/1169000716544946176 In a tweet repeated on his Twitter feed throughout the last 24 hours, the Brexiteer wrote: “MPs have voted to take control of parliament’s agenda […]

A Tory MP has called Dominic Cummings an ‘unelected, foul-mouthed oaf’ as furious complaints about the advisor grow within the Conservative party. Sir Roger Gale said Cummings was “in danger of tearing the party apart” in an interview with ITV news, which came in the wake of the mass deselection of 21 MPs. The draconian […]

Snarling, smirking, hurling insults – Boris Johnson’s first PMQs were not a great start in his avowed aim to unite the nation The one good thing you could say about Boris Johnson’s first appearance at PMQs is that it did – however briefly – reinstate the weekly session as a parliamentary occasion. The chamber was […]

Boris Johnson has called Jeremy Corbyn a ‘great big girl’s blouse’ in the House of Commons as he demanded the Labour leader back his calls for a general election. The exchanges came just hours after MPs voted to seize control of the order paper, raising the likelihood of a delay to Brexit and prompting the […]

A group of rebel Labour MPs have called for amendments of the bill that seeks to prevent a no-deal Brexit – asking for Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement bill to get another vote. Seventeen Labour MPs, including Stephen Kinnock, Caroline Flint, Sarah Champion and Dan Jarvis put their name to amendments to the bill yesterday saying […]

A cross-party group of 37 anti-Brexit UK MEPs have called on their EU colleagues to support them in ‘keeping the door open to us’. The group, which includes Magid Magid, Alexandra Phillips, Caroline Voaden, Judith Bunting and Seb Dance, have signed a declaration committing to working across party lines in the face of Brexit. Meeting […]

Boris Johnson’s self-styled image as a ‘defender of the people’ is in trouble after a snap YouGov poll revealed the public view the desperate efforts to force through Brexit as ‘undemocratic’. The survey of 1,533 voters ound Johnson’s suspension of parliament was viewed as undemocratic by an overwhelming 46% to 32%, while the prime minister’s […]

Lib Dem MEP and businessman Dinesh Dhamija went back to the shopfloor to meet the businesses facing a no-deal Brexit – and heard not one positive story The damaging effects of a no-deal Brexit on business have been made clear by major think tanks, corporate giants, a Bank of England governor and former prime ministers. […]

A judge at the highest court in Scotland has deemed that the government’s planned prorogation of parliament is lawful. Legal action aimed at preventing the UK government suspending parliament ahead of the Brexit deadline of October 31 was considered at the Court of Session in Edinburgh following a petition from barrister Jolyon Maugham QC alongside […]

Rory Stewart has quashed rumours – started by himself – that he was standing down as an MP, as he accepted GQ magazine’s ‘politician of the year’ award. The former Tory had just rebelled against Boris Johnson’s government along with 20 others in a historic vote, before heading off to the glitzy GQ event in […]

Despite the Daily Mail softening some of its rhetoric on Brexit, today’s editorial is scathing about Labour MPs and Tory rebels as well as John Bercow. The paper calls the speaker “a shameless publicity seeker with a stratospheric ego” who has “set fire to centuries old parliamentary procedure to stymie leaving the EU”. The paper […]

An image of Jacob Rees-Mogg ‘lounging languidly’ along the front bench during a historic Brexit debate has instantly become an internet meme. Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg reclining on his seat in the House of Commons. Photograph: House of Commons. – Credit: PA Wire/PA Images The Leader of the House was seen […]

Ken Clarke – a House of Commons veteran of nearly five decades – was among those to find themselves politically homeless after voting against the Government. The Rushcliffe MP had the Tory whip removed, effectively expelling him from the parliamentary party, after joining opposition parties on Tuesday night to wrest control of the Commons agenda […]

A new study suggests that Boris Johnson has a ‘problem with women voters’ as 80% of women report being concerned about the impact of a no-deal Brexit. A survey by the Fawcett Society of more than 2,000 adults showed that the majority of people of either gender are either anxious or unsure at the prospect […]

In an electric moment during Prime Minister’s Questions, a Labour MP was applauded for his passionate demand for an apology from Boris Johnson for racist and derogatory remarks he had made. Tanmanjeet Singh Dheshi is applauded in the House of Commons. Photograph: Parliament TV. – Credit: Archant Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi – the first turban-wearing Sikh […]

A former chairman of the Conservative party, who supports Brexit, spoke of ‘swivel-eyed ideologues’ as he condemned Boris Johnson’s treatment of the 21 MPs who rebelled against the government. Lord Kenneth Baker made scathing comments as he called on Central Office to allow them to stand again at the next election. In a stinging assessment, […]

Boris Johnson has reacted with fury to MPs plans to scupper a no-deal Brexit by announcing that he will seek to trigger a snap general election. The prime minister said he would table a motion under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. But Labour indicated that they would not support the move until chances of a no-deal […]

MPs have voted to take control of the order paper in a bid to stop a no-deal Brexit. But how did your MP vote? MPs voted by 328 votes to 301 to defeat the government – a majority of 27 votes – to take back control from government. Eight Independent MPs, one Green Party MP, […]

MPs have voted to take control of the order paper to potentially stop a no-deal Brexit after scores of Tories voted with the opposition. MPs voted by 328 votes to 301 to take back control of the order paper in a move that looks set to see a no-deal Brexit blocked again and the prime […]

MPs have criticised the Brexiteer leader of the Commons for not sitting up during the debate on an emergency motion that could allow politicians to stop a no-deal Brexit. Jacob Rees-Mogg during a debate in 2017. Photograph: TNE/Parliament TV. – Credit: Archant A photograph of Jacob Rees-Mogg sprawled out across three seats was posted to […]

Several Labour sources have claimed that the opposition party could vote against a general election to avoid it falling into the ‘elephant trap’ posed by Boris Johnson. Critics of Johnson have raised fears that an election mooted for October 14 if opponents win this week’s parliamentary showdown could be a move to force a no-deal […]

Without a hint of irony Jacob Rees-Mogg has been mocked for claiming a bill that would allow rebel MPs to seize control of the order paper ‘constitutionally irregular’. An angered leader of the House of Commons told MPs they “risk subverting parliament’s proper role in scrutinising the executive”, while telling Oliver Letwin, who tabled the […]

Stripping the whip from senior Tories who rebel to prevent a no-deal Brexit would be a ‘policy of insanity’, former minister Alistair Burt said as he announced his decision to stand down at the next election. The veteran Tory, who first entered parliament in 1983, hit out at the influence of Boris Johnson’s most senior […]