News and Opinion

David Cameron declared sunshine would win the day. But the Scottish Tory leader’s resignation shows the party no longer has room for social liberals We must respect Ruth Davidson’s given reasons for quitting as Scottish Conservative leader. She has held the role for eight years – effectively a generation in today’s febrile politics – and […]

Constitutional experts have said that Boris Johnson’s decision to prorogue parliament at this time breaks with the core principles of our constitution, calling it ‘frankly extraordinary’. Jacob Rees-Mogg has echoed government claims that the announced suspension of parliament between September 9 and October 14 is “a completely proper constitutional procedure”. WATCH; PM: It’s ‘completely untrue’ […]

The hearing of a court case that aims to stop Boris Johnson proroguing parliament without MPs’ approval has been pushed forward – and will now be heard today. Judge Lord Raymond Doherty had originally agreed to expedite the timetable for the legal challenge to take place, setting the date for the substantive hearing as Friday […]

Michael White says the suspension of parliament has echoes of Charles I, and we know how badly it ended for him. Well, that was a surprise, wasn’t it? Even though it shouldn’t have been. Parliament to be prorogued to prevent MPs blocking a no-deal Halloween Brexit. This is bold, dangerous stuff and many will cry […]

Just as Boris Johnson moves to suspend parliament, Labour is firmly behind the Remain cause, says ANDREW ADONIS. Thank God! Just as Johnson makes his bold move and seeks to suspend parliament, Labour is now firmly behind the Remain cause and, leading an alliance, is acting boldly to stop him. This week’s Church House Declaration […]

Ken Clarke has condemned the ‘blatant lies’ being told by MPs about the reasons for proroguing parliament, after Jacob Rees-Mogg dismissed public objection to the move as a ‘candyfloss of outrage’. The hard Brexiteer MP had told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the reasons for proroguing parliament were merely procedural and had nothing to […]

Brexiteer Labour MP has defended plans from a Tory prime minister to prorogue parliament ahead of the Brexit deadline date. The Tooting member of parliament said that the world was “going bananas” over the measure “as if it’s the greatest crisis ever”. She trotted out the government line by suggesting that it was doing so […]

There were strong reactions to Boris Johnson’s plans to prorogue parliament – both in the British press and across Europe. The front page of Spanish newspaper ABC. Photograph: ABC. – Credit: Archant With some papers emphasising the “rogue” in “prorogue”, the Independent captured the mood for several titles under a stark headline, on an otherwise […]

Femi Oluwole, one of the most recognisable faces of Remain’s social media circus, says there’s no price he wouldn’t pay to support the Remain cause. MIA JANKOWICZ speaks to the man behind the viral campaigning success. In the social media circus of Brexit, Femi Oluwole is Remain’s lion tamer. Put him up against the most […]

The broadcaster’s outlook is looking increasingly outdated, says STUART PRICE. Veteran BBC presenter John Humphrys has spent decades exposing the weaknesses inherent in the rhetorical pronouncements made by the UK’s political ‘elite’. All the evasions, grinding shifts in gear and downright falsehoods that appear when executive power presents its secretive decisions as a public debate […]

Lawyers acting on behalf of Gina Miller have made an urgent application to the high court for a judical review of Boris Johnson’s plan to prorogue parliament. “This is a brazen attempt, of truly historical magnitude, to prevent the executive being held accountable for its conduct before parliament,” she warned as she made the application. […]

A giant video screen is being driven round Michael Gove’s constituency, reminding people that he was against prorogation for a no-deal Brexit just two months ago. “Hi @MichaelGove, we’re driving round Surrey Heath today reminding your constituents what you thought about suspending parliament just a couple of months ago,” tweeted Led By Donkeys, the pranksters […]

A video clip of an EU citizen joining the protests against Brexit has gone viral after she expressed her exasperation with the government’s settlement scheme. The Portuguese national, who had lived in the UK for 20 years, interrupted a live broadcast of the ‘defend democracy’ protests in London to make an impassioned plea on behalf […]

A petition demanding that moves to suspend parliament are halted has already reached more than one million signatures. The petition on parliament’s website amassed the number in just twelve hours of Boris Johnson announcing he planned to prorogue parliament in order to push through his new domestic agenda. Any petition that secures 100,000 names sees […]

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of London and Edinburgh to defend democracy and fight against newly-announced plans from the prime minister to prorogue parliament to deliver Brexit. Protesters in Westminster fighting against Boris Johnson’s plan to prorogue parliament to force through Brexit. Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/PA Wire. – Credit: PA The London event […]

Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, is understood to be on the verge of making an announcement about her position, according to reports. Boris Johnson and Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson embrace after an EU referendum debate. (Stefan Rousseau/PA) – Credit: PA Archive/PA Images The BBC reported that the MSP is said to […]

A snap poll run by YouGov has found that only 51% of Leave voters think it is acceptable to prorogue parliament in the run-up to Brexit. The poll, which has been weighed to be representative of the population, asked 5734 people in the wake of the news that Boris Johnson has asked the Queen to […]

Donald Trump has been tweeting his approval of Boris Johnson as news broke of the prime minister’s plan to prorogue parliament. Would be very hard for Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain's Labour Party, to seek a no-confidence vote against New Prime Minister Boris Johnson, especially in light of the fact that Boris is exactly […]

Sinn Féin has insisted it will not review its absentionist policy, despite Boris Johnson attempts to force through Brexit. The republican party again rejected calls to ditch its century-old boycott of the House of Commons to help pro-Remain parties in their efforts to prevent a no-deal Brexit. Political rivals of Sinn Féin have repeatedly questioned […]

Health union leaders have issued an urgent warning that a no-deal Brexit could ‘devastate’ the NHS and cause potentially ‘fatal’ shortages and delays. In a joint statement – signed by 11 organisations including the British Medical Association, Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of Midwives, Unison, GMB, Unite and the TUC – they called on […]

Emergency protests will take place this evening in response to Boris Johnson’s plan to prorogue parliament ahead of the Brexit deadline date. The main event has been organised by the left-wing Another Europe is Possible group, with the activists are calling for anti-Brexit campaigners to take to the streets to “defend democracy”. On a Facebook […]

Mark Francois, the deputy chair of the European Research Group, has said that his group of Tory MPs would reject any Brexit deal – even if the backstop is removed. EXCLUSIVE: Deputy Chair of the ERG tells me they will REJECT the PM's Brexit deal if it simply involves the removal of the backstop. Seems […]

Signatures on an anti-prorogation petition have been going up by the minute after the news broke that Boris Johnson plans to take drastic action to prevent parliament from sitting. A petition on the government petitions website titled “Do not prorogue parliament” has over 250,000 signatures at time of writing, although the numbers are increasing so […]

A Labour MP has said police would need to remove him from the House of Commons if parliament was suspended ahead of a no-deal Brexit. Clive Lewis made the comment after the government asked the Queen to suspend parliament next month. In a tweet the Norwich South MP said: “If Boris shuts down parliament to […]

These are the key events in the countdown to October 31, when the UK is due to leave the European Union with or without a deal. September 3: MPs return to the House of Commons for first session after summer recess. September 4: Chancellor Sajid Javid due to make Commons statement on government spending in […]

The former attorney general has told broadcasters he would vote to bring down the government in a no-confidence motion if Boris Johnson persists in proroguing parliament in the pursuit of a no-deal Brexit. The government has announced its intention to suspend parliament from September 9 until October 14, when a Queen’s Speech would reopen parliament. […]

WILL DRY gives his reaction on Boris Johnson’s plan to suspend parliament ahead of the Brexit deadline date, and calls for everyone to work together to block the coup. Today, Boris Johnson announced that he’s planning to undermine democracy in the UK. It’s a coup. There is no other way to say this. I will […]

House of Commons speaker John Bercow has said that attempts to prorogue parliament to stop Brexit is a ‘constitutional outrage’. In a damning statement the speaker said he had not been notified about Boris Johnson’s plan, and was presently away on a family holiday. He said: “I have had no contact from the government, but […]