There was a time when Matt Hancock said it would disrespect war dead and Amber Rudd branded it a ‘ridiculous suggestion’

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Boris Johnson’s move to suspend parliament as the weeks tick down to October’s Brexit deadline has left some high-profile Tory ministers in a difficult situation, given their previously candid opposition to the idea.

Matt Hancock

During the recent Tory leadership contest, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, said the idea of suspending parliament “goes against everything those men who waded onto those beaches fought & died for – and I will not have it”.

Tom Peck (@tompeck) I for one will be very sad to see @MattHancock have to resign, now that the Prime Minister has disrespected the war dead in this way. https://t.co/sWgT58iiwF

Hancock wrote to parliament parliament on 6 June, saying that “England is the mother of all parliaments – respected as such around the free world”.

“To suspend Parliament explicitly to pursue a course of action against its wishes is not a serious policy of a prime minister in the 21st Century,” the letter said.

Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) Proroguing Parliament undermines parliamentary democracy and risks a general election. I rule it out and call on all candidates to do the same pic.twitter.com/4aaAK3Tq8M

Amber Rudd

Amber Rudd, the work and pensions secretary, in June described the suspending of parliament as “absolutely outrageous” .

“The idea of leaving the EU to take back more control into parliament and to consider the idea of closing parliament to do that is the most extraordinary idea I’ve ever heard,” she said.

Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) Proroguing parliament is "the most extraordinary idea I've ever heard" and a "ridiculous suggestion" says Amber Rudd. #Ridge



Follow Sunday politics live: https://t.co/YjBs9UGtw8 pic.twitter.com/h44OLXR2Td

“It is a ridiculous suggestion to consider proroguing parliament. For a start it would involve approaching the Queen and nobody should consider doing that,” she said.

Sajid Javid

The now chancellor, Sajid Javid, was also vehemently opposed to shutting down parliament, during the Tory leadership campaign, saying: “You don’t deliver on democracy by trashing democracy ... we are not selecting a dictator of our country”

TeamSaj (@TeamSaj) 'You don't deliver democracy by trashing democracy.' - you can't just shut down parliament - says @sajidjavid #TeamSaj #C4debate pic.twitter.com/DOPClG3EVH

Liz Truss

The international trade secretary and longtime Johnson defender told the BBC’s Emily Maitlis in June that the idea of suspending parliament was an “archaic manoeuvre” that Johnson had already ruled out. “He wants to bring parliament with him,” she said. She was asked: “He’s definitely ruling out proroguing or suspending parliament, is that right?” Her answer was: “That’s right.”

Michael Gove

Staunchly pro-leave Michael Gove, now chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, was also against suspending parliament, telling the BBC’s Andrew Marr show: “I think it will be wrong for many reasons. I think it would not be true to the best traditions of British democracy”.

Nicky Morgan

The culture secretary told the BBC’s Question Time programme that proroguing parliament was “clearly a mad suggestion”.

“You cannot say you are going to take back control … and then go: ‘Oh, by the way, we are just going to shut parliament down for a couple of months, so we are just going to drift out on a no deal’,” he said.

Andrea Leadsom

Asked in July if she would go along with a plan to suspend parliament to ensure a no-deal Brexit, Leadsom, a leading supporter of Boris Johnson, and now the business secretary, said: “No I don’t believe I would and I don’t believe it would happen.”