Opposition party leaders will meet for further talks in Westminster on Monday in a bid to ensure
Boris Johnson cannot push through a no-deal
Brexit against the will of parliament.
The leaders are expected to discuss a plan by Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson to force the prime minister to go to
Brussels to seek another Brexit delay as early as this weekend.
Parliament has already passed the so-called Benn Act requiring him to request a further extension to the Article 50 withdrawal process if he cannot get a new agreement by October 19.
But some on the opposition side fear that could leave too little time to take action through the courts if Johnson tries to circumvent the legislation and push through a no-deal break.
While he has repeatedly said he will abide by the law, the prime minister has also insisted the
UK will leave the EU on October 31, come what may.
A Liberal Democrat source confirmed Swinson would be putting forward the idea of bringing forward the deadline for seeking an extension when she meets counterparts from Labour, the SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Greens.
“I expect it to be discussed at the meeting. It is certainly Jo’s intention that it should,” the source told PA.Unusually, the Commons is sitting during conference after MPs refused to grant the government the customary recess in the bitter aftermath of the
Supreme Court ruling that Johnson’s suspension of parliament was unlawful.
The move could see Tory MPs and ministers forced to abandon their party conference in Manchester and dash back to Westminster if the opposition stage an ambush to seize control of the Commons agenda.
It comes as MPs from the Liberal
Democrats,
Labour and the Conservative parties, along with an independent, lambasted the behaviour seen recently in House of Commons’ debates.
The parliament was more than usually adversarial last week on its return after its proroguing was deemed unlawful by the Supreme Court.
Amongst the many shouts and taunts that went around the chamber, prime minister Boris Johnson dismissed fears that his use of words such as “traitor” and “betrayal” was dangerous in the current political climate.
In a letter published in The Times on Monday, Lib Dem MP Luciana Berger, Conservative Paul Masterton, Rosie Duffield from the Labour Party and Stephen Lloyd, a former Lib Dem now sitting as an independent, said they felt “sickened” by what happened in parliament.
“MPs screaming at each other across the floor; a prime minister dismissing fears of violence; and MPs fighting back tears sharing stories about vitriolic abuse they and their families have faced,” they wrote.
“Our political system foments this frenzy, entrenching and encouraging overly tribal and partisan behaviour, which threatens our ability to work together.”
Meanwhile, ministers insist they can still get an agreement with the EU which would allow
Britain to leave on October 31 with a deal – despite the gloomy noises that have been coming out of Brussels.
Diplomats in the Belgian capital have said they expect the
British side finally to table its proposals for resolving the issue of the Northern
Ireland backstop once the Tory conference finishes on Wednesday.Related... Boris Johnson Denies Squeezing Female Journalist's Thigh Boris Johnson Rejects Suggestion He Would Resign Rather Than Delay Brexit