POLITICO London Playbook, presented by ExxonMobil: The mother of all votes — SCOOP: Purdah canceled — Farage speaks to Playbook

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By JACK BLANCHARD

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Good Tuesday morning. MPs head back to Westminster today from their summer recess, and straight into a political storm of epic proportions. In theory there are 58 days until Brexit Day — but frankly all bets are off for now.

DRIVING THE DAY

THE MOTHER OF ALL VOTES: The House of Commons is gearing up for an historic vote this evening that would effectively take a no-deal Brexit off the table and put Britain on course for a snap election. Commons Speaker John Bercow will tonight rule on whether to allow an unprecedented emergency vote on giving backbench MPs control of the order paper tomorrow to pass their own anti no-deal laws. If Bercow agrees to the request, MPs will gather in the lobbies this evening for a pivotal vote that should finally make clear whether parliament is prepared to do whatever it takes to prevent no deal. If the rebels succeed, Boris Johnson will announce his own vote tomorrow on dissolving parliament and holding a snap general election on October 14, in the hope of winning a fresh mandate for his no-deal agenda. If the rebels fail, however, it will be all systems go for the PM’s pledge to pull Britain out of the EU on October 31, with or without a deal. The stakes could hardly be higher — and the result tonight is too close to call.

Turning the screws: All Downing Street’s efforts are focused on picking off the Tory rebels who are considering voting to tie the PM’s hands on no deal. Johnson’s weekend pledge to deselect any MPs who fail to back the government tonight, coupled with the threat of a snap election next month if he loses, means those Tory MPs who rebel are effectively voting to end their political careers within weeks. “I cannot stress this enough — we are not bluffing,” a senior government source told Playbook last night. “There are no circumstances under which Boris is going to extend [Article 50]. None. If MPs vote against the government tomorrow they are voting for an election. And those MPs will not be standing as Tory candidates.”

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SCOOP — 11th hour talks: Playbook hears Johnson will invite would-be-rebels into Downing Street this morning for last-minute talks on tonight’s vote. It will be the PM’s final chance to make a personal pitch to his MPs to step back from the brink and support his no-deal approach. A senior Downing Street official texts this morning to make the government’s position crystal clear. “If we lose this vote it would destroy our negotiating position, and force the PM to accept an unlimited extension from Brussels,” they say. “This is clearly not acceptable. Someone needs to ask rebels how siding with Jeremy Corbyn and allowing the EU to impose any extension it chooses upon the U.K. compatible with our ability to govern our own affairs?” But whether the rebels are in any mood to listen after the accusations and threats of the past week is another matter.

Exhibit A: “Threats are counter-productive,” one furious rebel source tells my colleague Annabelle Dickson. “I mean, think about it — you have a group of people who have to make a decision about whether they should put country before party. Then the leader of that party basically gives them a massive f*ck you by calling them collaborators, canceling a group meeting, threatening to deselect them. And,” shouting now, Annabelle says, “all the while CLAIMING HE DOESN’T WANT AN ELECTION!” Tensions, it’s fair to say, are running high.

But but but: Several papers this morning suggest some of the would-be rebels could yet balk at losing their jobs. “Some MPs have clearly made up their minds — but more than you would think are quietly considering if this is really how they want their political careers to end,” a government source tells the Guardian. “You cannot get around that fact. That will be the consequence.”

Deselection watch: One of the would-be-rebels, former Chancellor Philip Hammond, was last night reselected as Tory candidate for Runnymede and Weybridge by the executive council of his local association. (This local councillor was present and has been tweeting about it.) It seems Hammond saw what was coming and moved quickly to get his name back on the ballot paper. This puts CCHQ in a bit of a bind — are they really going to overrule a grassroots association which has decided to readopt its MP of 22 years, and one who was chancellor of the exchequer until a few weeks ago? Crucially, do they even have the power to do so? This Tory academic says they definitely do. But another party source texts Playbook to say they are “fairly sure that if you have been reselected as a Tory candidate by your constituency, you cannot have the whip withdrawn for three months.” I’m afraid Playbook has no way of checking obscure Tory party rules at this time of morning. Hopefully someone else can oblige.

Numbers game: Lobby abacus extraordinaire Alex Wickham is keeping a must-read tally for BuzzFeed News of how many of the 21 would-be Tory rebels are actually planning to vote against the government tonight. As things stood last night he had 10 Tory MPs confirmed (and on the record) as backing the anti no-deal “Rebel Alliance.” A further three are clearly wavering and said they have yet to decide, while the other eight have yet to make any public comment. You’d imagine a lot of soul-searching is taking place today. Watch these all-important numbers as they move through the day — this is pretty much the only game in town.

So how many Tories does it take to stop no deal? The critical question. One person involved in Rebel Alliance planning reckons that with 10 Tory rebels, the vote would be “in that corridor where it’s very hard to predict which way it goes.” Mid-teens or higher, and the rebels are pretty confident they will win the day. But there are too many moving parts to say for sure — not least the small number of pro-Brexit (or at least Brexit-reconciled) Labour MPs who will not vote against no deal. Downing Street sources said last night they hoped some Labour MPs in Leave-supporting areas may abstain rather than risk triggering a general election next month, which their party will fight on a second referendum ticket. Labour sources point out their numbers have been “pretty solid” whenever parliament has voted on no deal.

Every vote counts: With trust at an all-time low, Playbook gathers the informal practice of “pairing” — allowing sick or absent MPs from different parties to pair off against each other, canceling out the other’s missing vote — has effectively been suspended for the foreseeable future. If any MPs were thinking about ringing in sick this afternoon, they may want to think again.

Tinkering at the margins: The Remain Alliance’s numbers will be boosted by one today when parliament’s newest MP, Lib Dem Jane Dodds, is sworn in at 3.30 p.m. She ousted Brexiteer Tory Chris Davies in last month’s Brecon and Radnorshire by-election.

One step forward, one step back: However the rumor swirling in Labour circles last night was that troubled Sheffield Hallam MP Jared O’Mara has already submitted a post-dated letter to Chancellor Sajid Javid formally requesting he be permitted to step down as an MP today, via the archaic (and frankly weird) process of being appointed the “Crown Steward and Bailiff” of either the Manor of Northstead or the Chiltern Hundreds. (Here’s an explainer on all that.) If that’s correct, Javid is unlikely to delay in granting the request, given it would immediately vacate O’Mara’s seat and so bar him from voting tonight should he have wished to do so. O’Mara is a Remainer who supports a second referendum — although his voting record was already patchy, to say the least.

Ouch: Slightly off topic now, but the delicious post-script to this (unconfirmed) story is that if an election is indeed called tomorrow, O’Mara would only have needed to stay on for those extra few days and then put himself forward as a candidate to secure a hefty financial pay-off. MPs who are defeated at elections basically get redundancy payments … those who quit do not.

And then to Act II: It’s important to remember tonight’s vote merely creates the time on the order paper for MPs to put forward their anti no-deal bill in the Commons tomorrow. That bill will then require further hours of debate and a series of crucial votes — and must pass the House of Lords too before it becomes law. But it’s safe to assume that if the Rebel Alliance has the numbers tonight, then it is likely to get the bill through the Commons easily enough. The aim is to have a “workable majority” which cannot be picked apart by No. 10. The battle then proceeds to the Lords on Thursday.

How the new law would work: In short, it would force the PM to seek a further Brexit extension to January 31, 2020 if a Brexit deal (or no deal) has not been formally approved by parliament by the middle of next month. If the EU proposes a different extension date, the bill says the PM must accept that automatically unless parliament steps in to block the plan within a couple of days. The Institute for Government has a useful explainer here.

Now take a step back: There’s been a lot of talk from people around Boris Johnson over recent weeks of finding imaginative new ways to block the legislation, or even of simply ignoring the anti no-deal laws, or of refusing to pass them to the queen for royal assent. But last night’s pledge of a snap election if the vote passes tonight is in effect an acceptance from No. 10 that the PM would have to abide by parliament’s laws. It looks like Johnson’s legislative expert Nikki da Costa — widely respected as the queen of parliamentary process by all in Westminster — has advised the PM there is no way out of this other than a general election. That in itself is a victory for the big brains of the Rebel Alliance, who have spent weeks working on a watertight way to bind the PM’s hands. “Mr. Grieve — we’ll see what he’s right about,” Dominic Cummings told Sky TV a few weeks back. Well, it seems that now we do.

HOW TODAY PANS OUT

THEATER OF DREAMS: The wonderful thing about a hung parliament is that unlike in normal times, most of the real action on these momentous occasions takes place inside the Commons chamber. And as a warm-up to this evening’s drama, we’re also due a statement in the House from Boris Johnson on his attendance at the G7 summit, which will likely turn into a two-hour grilling from MPs on all sides over his Brexit plans, his election threat and his decision to prorogue parliament next week. We’re also promised a Commons statement from his Cabinet Office sidekick Michael Gove, updating MPs on government preparations for a no-deal Brexit. Don’t look away for a single minute.

Watch like a pro: Playbook has pulled together an essential guide on how today should pan out. As ever with Commons activity, the timings are subject to change, cancelation and of course events (dear boy) — but this is your author’s best guess at how it’s likely to go. Don’t @ me if it’s all gone t*ts up by lunchtime.

7 a.m.: Broadcast rounds by senior figures from both main parties as they fight to win the public’s hearts and minds ahead of the likely general election. Expect bullish language and veiled threats towards the rebels from Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, vs. self-righteousness and seething anger from Shadow Attorney General Shami Chakrabarti. The former Cabinet Minister Liam Fox will also give his first broadcast interview since being sacked by Boris Johnson. Loyal to the last, his message on the Today program to Tory rebels will be to fall into line and back the new PM.

Mid-morning: Jeremy Corbyn will host another meeting of opposition leaders in his Commons office as the Rebel Alliance plots tactics ahead of tonight’s vote. Alongside Corbyn and his senior aides (hello Seumas) will be Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, Opposition Chief Whip Nick Brown, Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer and Shadow Leader of the Commons Valerie Vaz. Attendees from other parties will include SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson, Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts, TIG for Change leader Anna Soubry and Green Party’s Caroline Lucas.

Also mid-morning: Boris Johnson will hold meetings with Tory rebels in Downing Street, as he tries to pick off their numbers one by one.

11 a.m.: Briefing for lobby hacks from Downing Street on the latest developments with Brexit, the general election and — naturally — the PM’s new dog. Luckily for democracy, the BuzzFeed Fun Police will be keeping a close eye on journalists to make sure every question strikes a suitably solemn tone. Anyone cracking jokes will be chewed up and turned into clickbait before the afternoon is out.

2.30 p.m.: The Commons returns from its six-week summer recess with an hour of FCO questions. It will be Raab’s first outing at the dispatch box as foreign secretary, and we can expect a combative session. But let’s face it — this is the calm before the storm.

3.30 p.m.: Lib Dem Jane Dodds sworn is as parliament’s newest MP, swelling the Rebel Alliance numbers by one.

3.32 p.m.: Assuming there are no Urgent Questions, Boris Johnson will take the floor to make a Commons statement on his attendance at the G7 summit. But before he does so keep a close eye on Commons Speaker John Bercow, who may just seek to bag his own moment in the limelight with a few stern words about the PM’s decision to prorogue parliament next week. We may also get points of order raised by MPs seeking to make a point about the current power struggle. Once Johnson’s statement is out of the way expect an angry rebuttal from Jeremy Corbyn, who is bound to take him to task over both prorogation and no deal in a speech designed to be clipped on social media ahead of the looming election campaign. Then the floor gets thrown open to backbench MPs for a couple of hours of angry debate.

5.30 p.m.: I’m guessing at timings now, but around this point Bercow is likely to bring the curtain down on the PM’s statement and give the floor to Michael Gove for his update on no-deal preparations. We’re expecting Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Jon Trickett to lead for Labour, though that has not yet been confirmed.

6.30 p.m.-ish: Pivotal moment of the day as a leading Rebel Alliance member — we don’t yet know who — submits their application under Standing Order 24 for an emergency debate on no deal. At this stage it will be all eyes on the application. By convention, these debates take the form of neutral motions which simply say “this House has considered XXXX” — in other words, no more than a talking shop. But the plan tonight is to put forward something radically different, concluding with a vote to temporarily change Commons rules and give backbenchers control of the order paper tomorrow. The MP making the application has three minutes to make their case in the Commons, and then it’s all eyes on Bercow as he makes his historic ruling. If he fails to grant the debate, the Rebel Alliance’s game is up. But the widespread expectation is this speaker is prepared to rewrite the Commons rulebook and give the rebels the chance to take control. Expect fury from the government benches if he does so.

6.40 p.m.-ish: Weird interim as the Commons empties while Tory MP Chris Philp unveils a private member’s bill designed to mitigate air pollution. It’s an important issue, but in truth this bill is never going to see the light of day. A good chance to make yourself a cuppa and order a takeaway.

7 p.m.-ish: Right back to it as the SO24 debate gets underway. Expect Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer to take center stage. All eyes now on the Tory rebels, as SW1 tries to figure out if the numbers are there to defeat the government.

9.30 p.m. to 10 p.m.: The big vote is expected any time around now. It’s possible there will in fact be two votes, if a “closure motion” is required to end the debate. If so, the numbers on each should be exactly the same — you can pretty much guarantee that if the rebels win the closure motion, they have enough to win the substantive vote too. If they don’t, the game is up and it’s all systems go for no deal.

10.30 p.m.-ish: The Commons empties (and Stranger’s Bar fills up) as senior government and opposition figures take to the airwaves to try to frame what just happened. If the rebels win the day, expect a senior minister to immediately put forward a motion on tomorrow’s order paper for a vote on a snap general election on October 14. Then we can all go home for a breather, ahead of another seismic day to come. Phew.

Now read this: POLITICO’s Annabelle Dickson sets the scene ahead of a week of drama.

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ELECTION FEVER

THE OTHER NUMBERS GAME: The next big question rushing towards us like an express train is how Labour will vote if Boris Johnson does indeed go for a snap general election tomorrow. This question has been causing severe friction within the upper echelons of the party, with key figures around Jeremy Corbyn desperate to take on the challenge but with passionately pro-EU MPs urging caution until no deal has been taken off the table. Under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, Johnson needs the support of two-thirds of all MPs — 434 in total — to call a snap election. If he carried all the Tories (unlikely, given he’s threatening to end some of their careers) plus the SNP (who are riding high in the polls and desperate for an election) it leaves him needing 100 or so Labour MPs to get over the line. Which means Corbyn’s decision on how to whip the vote will be pivotal in deciding if this election is going ahead.

Here’s Jezza: Speaking at a rally last night, Corbyn sounded pretty enthusiastic about a general election. “I will be delighted when the election comes,” he told the crowd. “I’m ready for it, you’re ready for it, we’re ready for it — we’ll take the message out there, and above all we will win for the people of this country.” And the Times’ Henry Zeffman has the inside track on yesterday’s shadow Cabinet meeting, where he says most of Corbyn’s top team are backing the plan for an election. “There was a pretty much unanimous view that our attitude had to be ‘Bring it on,’” the source tells him. “We couldn’t be in a position of saying we want an election but only at a certain time.” Zeffman notes that “only Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, is thought to have said Labour should oppose the poll unless it could be sure parliament had passed no-deal legislation first.”

But wait a second: Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Tony Lloyd was on BBC Newsnight last night and appeared to rule out the possibility of Labour voting for an election this week. “Categorically, Jeremy Corbyn and the party would vote against an election if it came to Labour this week or next week?” Emily Maitlis asked him. “You would say ‘no thanks, we do not want an election at this moment? And that would be a vote against?” Lloyd replied: “That’s absolutely right. That’s exactly what I was saying.” Watch the clip.

So … what’s going on? With all due respect to Tony Lloyd, Labour is not going to announce a huge policy shift like that via an offhand comment from an obscure shadow Cabinet minister on Newsnight. Party sources are pointing to the rest of the interview where Lloyd was far more equivocal, insisting Labour would not give Johnson a free hand on an election date but do still want to go to the polls. Shadow Attorney General Shami Chakrabarti has a broadcast round this morning and you can expect her to tell interviewers Labour wants to pursue both the anti no-deal law and a general election. Whether that means voting for the election *tomorrow* or not has yet to be resolved.

Worth noting: Plenty of Labour MPs are less enthused about an election, at least until no deal is safely off the table. The Mirror’s Pippa Crerar reports “dozens” of Labour MPs have told party whips they will not back an election until the no-deal bill is passed into law.

Now take a step back: The expectation must surely still be that Corbyn will not pass up the chance to force a general election. I mean seriously — can you really spend a week complaining of a “coup” by an “unelected prime minister,” but then vote against the chance to go the polls? Even with a sizeable Labour rebellion against Corbyn, the numbers are surely there to get this thing done.

ELECTION SCOOP — Purdah will not apply: How’s this for messing with the Whitehall rulebook? A senior Downing Street source tells Playbook this morning that Labour MP Mary Creagh’s attempt to stop no-deal preparations due to election purdah rules is going nowhere — as purdah simply will not apply. The No. 10 source says: “The PM has already made clear to senior officials that if he is forced into an election by rebels purdah rules will have no application to no-deal planning. People have forgotten that purdah is a convention, not law, and the law is we are leaving on October 31. Those Remainers clinging to the hope that purdah will save them are clinging to yet another delusion.” Yikes.

Election by the numbers: If confirmed, a poll on October 14 would be the first election on a Monday since the 1930s. Defeat for Boris Johnson would also make him the shortest-serving prime minister in British history.

About that date: Jewish Chronicle journo Daniel Sugarman points out BoJo has managed to pick a holy Jewish holiday — the first day of Sukkot — for his snap election. That means thousands of potential anti-Corbyn voters are going to be forbidden by their religion from heading to the polling booths. Oops. There’s always postal votes, I guess.

Fighting dirty? The Times’ Rachel Sylvester reckons Downing Street has been secretly polling “culture war” issues, such as transgender rights, to see whether they can be “weaponized” against Labour in northern working-class constituencies. However several No. 10 officials got in touch last night to categorically deny any such polling has taken place. “Total nonsense,” one says.

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PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW — NIGEL FARAGE



TAKING ON THE BREXIT PARTY: Boris Johnson, of course, has set his sights on Brexit Party voters in his hunt for a parliamentary majority. The no-deal threats, free movement ending tough talk and plans for a parliament suspension in recent weeks are all designed to bolster the Tory vote by wooing die-hard Euroskeptics who have flocked to Nigel Farage’s new outfit. Playbook’s Annabelle Dickson spoke to Farage by phone last night as he was on his way back from Colchester, following the first of 10 “party conference rallies” hosted by the Brexit Party. The former UKIP man could yet play a pivotal role in deciding whether the Tories can win a majority.

About that pact? “As things currently stand, if the prime minister committed to bringing back the failed European treaty — albeit with a couple of small amendments — we will oppose it, because the Withdrawal Agreement is awful. The more we talk to the country about all the other traps that are in it aside from the backstop, the more people will agree with us.”

‘Clean break’: “If Boris goes for a clean-break Brexit, with our support, working together he would be unstoppable, given the constituency cuts in the country, he would win a very large majority and he would be a hero.”

What would be your price? “They are not conditions, it is more of a non-aggression pact I have suggested, there are areas in the country where we would be the challengers to Labour, where the Conservatives are not going to get elected, equally there are other areas of the country where the Conservatives could win seats that we can’t, and with my endorsement that would help them significantly in those seats.”

Boris May: “I thought ‘oh gosh [when the statement was announced], this is going to be interesting’ and it turned out we had a Mrs. May-type press conference where not a lot was said. Clearly he inferred there would be an election, but the odd thing was that 20 minutes after it had finished his aides were briefing specifically that if they lost the vote it would be October 14, which left me wondering ‘why not just say it?’ To me, I think he blinked a little bit was my first impression, and my second impression was the emphasis on Mrs. May’s Withdrawal Agreement was very very strong, very very strong.”

Forming a pact: Asked if he had had any talks about electoral pacts with the Conservatives, Farage said “not to anybody senior” and “absolutely not” Team Boris. But he had spoken to “dozens of people, huge numbers of Conservatives” who wanted to do a “sensible deal … Donors, it is that kind of level, but Team Boris think they can do it without us and I’m afraid on the numbers they can’t.”

Election prediction: “I haven’t got one yet, but let’s put it like this. If the election is October 14 and if it is on the premise of ‘give me a majority to go and negotiate with Brussels on 17/18 October, or else,’ he is not going to win a majority.”

Would you give IDS a free run? “I think IDS voted for the treaty, didn’t he?”

On helping other Tory Brexiteers who eventually backed May’s deal: “Of course not, there is not point in saying things are a disaster, it will lead to us becoming a slave state, and then voting for it.”

Those who didn’t vote for the deal? “There is a much more favorable conversation to be had about them.”

Any deal you would support? “The only new deal is one based on a freezing of the trade relationships with a commitment to getting a proper trade deal in place, and I am quite sure the WTO will be happy to act as a broker in that. That obviously takes two to tango, and if Brussels refuse then we leave with no deal.”

Chances of a deal? “Everyone in Brussels says that if Boris can produce something that really is special on the Irish backstop that they will look at it. He may get some amendments, but I don’t think he is going to get anything very fundamental.”

ELSEWHERE IN BREXIT

SUNLIT UPLANDS LATEST: It’s not looking great for those supporting no deal, however, with the FT reporting last night that the latest government verdict on preparations is so bleak that Michael Gove has abandoned plans to publish it. He will update the House via an oral statement this afternoon instead. Happily the Daily Mail’s Jason Groves seems to have got his hands on it anyway — and it’s not great news for anyone, really. “A no-deal Brexit next month could lead to public disorder, travel chaos and shortages of fresh food, medicines and petrol,” he reports. Not great timing for No. 10.

TODAY IN BRUSSELS: The EU’s Article 50 working group meets for the first time in Brussels since the summer break, and Playbook hears mobiles have been banned from the meeting — which sounds pretty exciting. Meanwhile my Brussels Playbook colleague Florian Eder hears that tomorrow the European Commission will step up its Brexit preparedness efforts, reiterating its call to all stakeholders to prepare for a ‘no-deal’ scenario.

Also from Florian: He has obtained the EU document on the lack of so-called alternative arrangement to the Irish backstop which the Guardian broke yesterday. The document says it “is evident that every facilitation has concerns and issues related to them.” And that “the complexity of combining them into something more systemic and as part of one package is a key missing factor at present.” Not good. Read the document in full, courtesy of Florian, here.

Meanwhile in Downing Street: The Telegraph’s Peter Foster says Downing Street aide Dominic Cummings secretly sees the renegotiation as nothing more than a “sham” to run down the clock. Read his inside track on the government’s Brexit prep committees here. No. 10 is firmly denying the story.

Courts news: Hearings on whether Boris Johnson’s decision to prorogue parliament was actually legal will proceed in both Scotland and Northern Ireland this morning.

Also in Scotland: First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be setting out her program for government in Holyrood today. She’s due on her feet at 2.20 p.m. Expect Brexit — and Scottish independence — to get a mention.

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MEDIA ROUND

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab broadcast round: Sky Sunrise (7.15 a.m.) … Today program (7.30 a.m.) … BBC Breakfast (8.30 a.m.) … TalkRADIO (8.45 a.m.).

Shadow Attorney General Shami Chakrabarti broadcast round: BBC Breakfast (7.10 a.m.) … BBC Radio 5 Live (7.20 a.m.) … Today program (7.50 a.m.) … Sky Sunrise (8.10 a.m.).

Lib Dem Brexit spokesman Tom Brake broadcast round: BBC Breakfast (6.40 a.m.) … TalkRADIO (7.10 a.m.) … Sky Sunrise (7.30 a.m.).

Rebel leader Dominic Grieve broadcast round: LBC Radio (7.50 a.m.) … BBC Breakfast (8.10 a.m.) … Sky News’ All Out Politics (9 a.m.).

Also on the Today program: Conservative MP Justine Greening (7.10 a.m.) … Former Chancellor Philip Hammond (8.10 a.m.) … Former Cabinet Minister Liam Fox (8.30 a.m.) … Scottish National Party MP Stephen Gethins (8.40 a.m.).

Also on BBC Breakfast: Tory MPs Nigel Evans and Sam Gyimah and Labour MP Alison McGovern debate Brexit (7.40 a.m.) … The Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn and the Mirror’s Kevin Maguire (8.50 a.m.) … Ipsos MORI boss Ben Page (9 a.m.).

Also on Sky Sunrise: Tory MP Sam Gyimah (8.30 a.m.).

Also on Nick Ferrari at Breakfast (LBC Radio): The Daily Mail’s Andrew Pierce (7.20 a.m.) … Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith (9.05 a.m.).

Also on Breakfast with Julia Hartlery-Brewer (TalkRADIO): Tory MP Andrew Bridgen (7.05 a.m.) … Best for Britain boss Naomi Smith (7.50 a.m.) … Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith (8.05 a.m.) … Former Deputy PM Michael Heseltine (9.05 a.m.).

All Out Politics (Sky News, 9 a.m.): The Sunday Times’ deputy political editor, Caroline Wheeler and the Big Issue’s Editor Paul McNamee review the newspaper comment sections (9.15 a.m. & 10.15 a.m.) … Former May adviser James Johnson and former Corbyn adviser Steve Howell debate a snap election (9.30 a.m.) … Political commentator Steve Richards (9.45 a.m.) … Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski (10 a.m.) … Former civil servant Sarah Hurst (10.30 a.m.) … Constitutional experts Jack Simson Caird and Meg Russell (10.45 a.m.).

Politics Live (BBC2, 12.15 p.m.): Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth … Lib Dem MP Layla Moran … ConservativeHome founder Tim Montgomerie.

Reviewing the papers tonight: (BBC News, 10.40 p.m. & 11:30 p.m.): The Daily Telegraph’s Dia Chakravarty and Anna Isaac … (Sky News, 10.30 a.m. & 11.30 a.m.): The Evening Standard’s Ayesha Hazarika and the Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn.

TODAY’S FRONT PAGES

(Click on the publication’s name to see its front page.)

City A.M.: Block no deal and I’ll seek an election.

Daily Mail: Boris names election date.



Daily Mirror: Snappy election.

Financial Times: Johnson threatens snap election if Tory rebels refuse to back him.

HuffPost U.K.: “Election before Brexit.”

i: October election on way if MPs defy Johnson.

Metro: “Snap election on October 14.”

The Daily Telegraph: “I don’t want an election, you don’t want an election” … but it’s planned for October 14.

The Guardian: Johnson’s ultimatum — Back me or face a snap Brexit election.

The Independent: When will the Brexit turmoil end?

The Sun: Boris snaps.



The Times: Johnson warns rebels — I’ll call October election.

LONDON CALLING

Westminster weather: 🌤 ⛅️⛅️ Pleasant morning with plenty of sunshine, though clouding over later on. Staying dry. Highs of 21C.

Travel: Severe delays on the Metropolitan line.

New gigs: Political consultancy (and Playbook pollster) Hanbury Strategy has hired polling expert James Kanagasooriam as a partner in the firm … Sky News’ political correspondent, Lewis Goodall, is joining BBC Newsnight as policy editor, replacing the departed Chris Cook.

Book launch: Former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron publishes his autobiography “A Better Ambition — Confessions of a Faithful Liberal” through SPCK today. The launch is at 7 p.m. tonight in the Commons’ Dining Room A.

Alt option: At the same time over at Tate Modern, it’s the GQ “Man of the Year” Awards tonight.

Happy birthday: Schools Minister Nick Gibb … Hendon MP Matthew Offord … North East Hampshire MP Ranil Jayawardena … Deputy Lords Speaker Euan Geddes … European Central Bank President Mario Draghi … Columnist and famous sister Rachel Johnson … Lib Dem spinner David Green.

PLAYBOOK COULDN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT: My editor Zoya Sheftalovich and producer Miriam Webber.

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