Former Tory prime minister Sir John Major has warned Boris Johnson that he is willing to take him to court, if he doesn’t rule out shutting down the UK Parliament to ram through a no-deal Brexit.

During an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today program, Major, who was Britain’s PM from 1990 to 1997, insisted that if Johnson asks the Queen to prorogue parliament, he and many others would be willing to take legal action against the leadership favorite.

I for one would be prepared to seek a judicial review to prevent parliament being bypassed... I’m not going to stand by and see [parliamentary traditions] disregarded in this fashion.

Former British PM Sir John Major will "seek a judicial review" to prevent the next prime minister suspending Parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit #r4todayhttps://t.co/MyWlMEV8nKpic.twitter.com/0aLl8Ej5H5 — BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) July 10, 2019

The ardent EU advocate explained that the Queen’s decision to grant a suspension of parliament “cannot be challenged in law, but the prime minister’s advice to the Queen” can be.

In a sly dig at Johnson, the former Tory PM claimed that “no serious politician” should put the Queen in such a “constitutional controversy,” and insisted that national leaders should be “putting the interests of the country first... not themselves.”

It comes after Johnson and his rival for the top job, Jeremy Hunt, traded blows on Tuesday night during a live debate on ITV. Johnson, a former London mayor and foreign secretary, appeared to double down on his threat to shut down parliament, insisting that he was “not going to take anything off the table.”

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The fractious debate between the pair saw Johnson promise to get Britain off the “hamster wheel of doom” by delivering Brexit by October 31 – deadline day. While Hunt, the current foreign secretary, prompted laughter from the studio audience after saying of Johnson: “You ask him a question, he puts a smile on your face and you forget the question.”

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