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Our reporter Ben Quinn attended a symbolic meeting of MPs in Church House where they discussed their opposition to no-deal Brexit. He filed this report.

Play Video 1:19 Boris Johnson a threat to UK's democracy, says John McDonnell – video

Boris Johnson was described as a threat to the very nature of British democracy at a cross party meeting of MPs who signed a pledge to an alternative parliament in the event of the prime minister shutting down parliament to make a no deal Brexit happen.

In a highly symbolic gathering in Church House, where MPs met during the second world war, Labour’s John McDonnell took to the stage alongside the former Conservative MP, Anna Soubry, as well as the Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson and Caroline Lucas of the Green Party.



Each one signed the ‘Church House Declaration,’ which declared that shutting down parliament would be “an undemocratic outrage at such a crucial moment for our country, and a historic constitutional crisis.”

It added: “Any attempt to prevent Parliament sitting, to force through a no deal Brexit, will be met by strong and widespread democratic resistance.”

The shadow chancellor, who said that Jeremy Corbyn had been trapped in meetings, told those assembled: “Prime Ministers come and Prime Ministers go but I don’t think we have seen a Prime Minister like this who has had the potential to threaten the vary nature of our democracy.”

Opposition MPs at the meeting at Church House in central London. Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images

I want to warn him that we will not and let that happen, said McDonnell, who added that MPs will use “whatever mechanism necessary” to thwart Johnson.



More than 160 MPs from a range of parties were said by organisers to have signed the declaration.



Ian Blackford, the leader of the SNP in the House of Commons, said that the government posed a threat to the security of citizens, while the Green MP Caroline Lucas said: “We will block what is nothing less than a coup.”



Swinson said that members of parliament had come together to make the point that they would not stand by while the government sent the country into a “catastrophic no deal Brexit.”



While Conservative MPs were conspicuous by their absence from the event, there was a highly symbolic moment when the former Tory MP and minister addressed the event, standing on stage while McDonnell sat beside her.



She said that she hoped that when the history books were written they would record their determination and courage and show that there were those who acted while others stood by and did nothing.

“You all know who the people of courage are and those who have failed to exercise it. They will stop you in the corridors and say: ‘of course this is absolute madness’ but they will not go and do the right thing, which is to be true to their principles.”