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Boris Johnson told his Cabinet yesterday the EU would think 'these guys really are serious' following his dramatic decision to prorogue Parliament for a month leaving Remainer rebels little time to prevent No Deal.

On a conference call with senior ministers the PM said Brussels was more likely to offer Britain a deal if it thought that parliament could no longer 'frustrate' Brexit.

While sticking to his public insistence that the suspension was about new domestic legislation to be brought forward in an October 14 Queen's Speech, Mr Johnson said events in parliament had a 'direct impact' on Brexit negotiations.

He insisted that his decision was 'emphatically not' about bypassing MPs, but acknowledged it would make a 'huge difference' in negotiations with Brussels once the threat of MPs stopping Brexit was removed.

And following his recent meetings with European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron of France and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Johnson said he believed they were preparing to move.

He said 'we have got to stick our foot in that door'.

He added that the fact Britain could leave without a deal was making them think 'these guys really are serious'.

On a conference call with his Cabinet yesterday following his dramatic decision to prorogue Parliament for five weeks, Mr Johnson said the message it would send to Brussels, that No Deal remained a genuine option, would help negotiations

He said recent meetings with European allies - he met German Chancellor Anegela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron in Berlin and Paris on consecutive days last week - had convinced a deal remained possible

The Times reported that on the call former Remainer Amber Rudd asked the PM to tone down his rhetoric while Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and business secretary Andrea Leadsom were strongly supportive of the move.

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said the move was entirely within the government legal and constitutional rights.

The premier's shock move to suspend Parliament received the formality of Royal Ascent yesterday afternoon as the Prime Minister seeks to limit Opposition MPs' chances of preventing Brexit on October 31.

But in the aftermath of the carefully choreographed move which saw Jacob Rees-Mogg fly to Balmoral to present the plan to the Queen in person after Her Majesty had a telephone meeting with Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister was accused of being a 'tin pot dictator' and committing 'a constitutional outrage'.

A petition against prorogation hit a million signatures by midnight, crowds gathered in Parliament Square waving EU flags and shouting 'stop the coup', and a legal challenge is already underway.

Former Chancellor Philip Hammond said Parliament would now seek to move anti-no-deal legislation against the Prime Minister next week, although he added he was 'not interested in bringing down the government'.

The government will prorogue this unusually long, two-year session of Parliament by September 12, which will be followed by a five week break and a Queen Speech on October 14.

The PM insisted the new session was required to bring forward new legislation on the NHS, policing and education and said there would still be 'plenty of time' to debate Brexit.

But the timetable leaves Remainers only a maximum of five days to enact the plan they agreed upon yesterday, to seize control of the government order paper and pass legislation to prevent No Deal.

Given the difficulty of achieving that in the time allotted, a vote of no confidence becomes a more likely option but government sources were bullish about their chances of surviving such a vote.

Despite the prorogation only lengthening the planned September break by a few days opponents issued shrieks of outrage.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell addressed anti-prorogation protestors gathered in Parliament Square last night

Demonstrators waving EU flags and shouting 'stop the coup' brought traffic to a standstill in central London yesterday

Demonstrators held up placards reading 'No to Boris, yes to Europe' and, left, pictured Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and the Queen as a 'pro rogue's gallery'. Meanwhile Dianne Abbott spoke to crowds waving 'Defend Democracy' placards

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused the PM of a 'constitutional outrage', Commons Speaker John Bercow said it was an 'offence against the democratic process', union bosses said Mr Johnson was acting in a 'dictatorial way' and the EU's Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt described the move as 'sinister'.

Arch-Remain Labour MP Clive Lewis said police would have to remove him from the Chamber, and fellow Remainer Dominic Grieve threatened to vote against his own leader in a vote of no confidence.

Amid the fallout sources said Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, would announce her resignation tomorrow due to pressures of new motherhood and a rift with Johnson' leadership. A spokesman said the decision was not linked to the suspension of Parliament.

Yesterday evening it emerged anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller has already issued legal proceedings to challenge prorogation. Former Conservative prime minister Sir John Major also said he is seeking advice on the legality of Mr Johnson proroguing Parliament.

Amid the political firestorm on a dramatic day in Westminster:

The pound slumped more than one percent versus the dollar and euro amid growing fears on the markets of a No Deal Brexit, but rallied to recover more than half of its early losses

A handful of Tory Remainer rebels signalled they could back a vote of no confidence in Mr Johnson's government.

Commons Speaker John Bercow said the move represented a 'constitutional outrage'.

Opposition MPs said they will refuse to leave the Commons if Mr Johnson shuts Parliament's doors.

Union bosses accused the PM of behaving in a 'dictatorial way' to 'silence all opposition'.

More than two dozen Church of England bishops warned in an open letter that a No Deal Brexit would hit the 'least resilient' in society.

Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's Brexit co-ordinator, said ''taking back control' has never looked so sinister'.

Sir Vince Cable, the former Lib Dem leader, announced his intention to step down as an MP at the next election

The DUP supported the decision to suspend Parliament but said the move would require it to review its 'confidence and supply' deal to prop up the Tories.

President Donald Trump threw his support behind Mr Johnson, saying it would now be hard for the PM's opponents to bring him down in a confidence vote.

And Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson was preparing to announce she will step down

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Commons Leader, flew to Balmoral Castle to present Boris Johnson's plan to prorogue Parliament to the Queen in person. The monarch approved the plan yesterday afternoon. Mr Rees-Mogg pictured arriving at Aberdeen Airport on his way back to London

Mr Johnson outlined his decision to prorogue Parliament in a letter sent to every MP this morning

Mr Johnson outlined his proposal to the monarch in a phone call yesterday morning while Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Commons Leader, flew to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to present it to her in person.

The Prime Minister will suspend Parliament by September 12 at the latest after MPs return to work on Tuesday.

The Queen acts on the advice of her ministers and there was never any question of her refusing the request.

Mr Johnson caught his political opponents off-guard and stunned Westminster as he said he will send MPs home for most of September and the start of October to try to stop them thwarting a No Deal Brexit.

Mr Johnson will then hold a Queen's Speech on October 14 setting out his government's legislative agenda just two weeks before the UK is due to split from Brussels.

Prorogation will take place at some point in the week beginning September 9 in a move which will dramatically reduce the amount of time available to Europhile MPs who want to pass a new law which would force Mr Johnson to ask the EU to delay Brexit if the UK is on course for a No Deal split on Halloween.

Nonetheless senior Remain-backing MPs yesterday agreed to prioritise the passage of anti-No Deal legislation over a potential vote of no confidence as they try to prevent a bad break from Brussels.

The decision to prorogue Parliament has massively upped the stakes in the battle over Brexit and represents a major gamble for Mr Johnson who is effectively daring his opponents to try to oust him next week and bring about a snap general election.

MPs may now be forced to swing in behind a vote to topple the PM when they return from their summer break next week but Downing Street is bullish about the chances of defeating a vote of no confidence, with officials deeply sceptical about Mr Corbyn's ability to persuade a majority of MPs to back the move.

Meanwhile, it is thought Mr Johnson could simply choose to ignore a successful vote of no confidence.

Convention dictates that a defeated PM should resign but sources said today that Mr Johnson could refuse to quit, dissolve Parliament and then call an election himself.

Big news: a photograph taken from the street looking through the open door of 11 Downing Street this morning captures Sajid Javid looking taken aback by the day's tumultuous events

Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State Dominic Raab was among senior Tories to convene on Downing Street in the aftermath of the dramatic announcement

In the loop: Cabinet ministers and Tory MPs arrived at Downing Street this afternoon amid reports the decision had been so close-hold even senior Tories did not know. Pictured: Education Secretary Gavin Williamson (left) and Boris Johnson's brother Jo, MP for Orpington, right

What happens now with the Brexit process in Parliament? Here are the key dates 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 2020/21. September 9: Parliament likely to begin process for prorogation. September 10: Parliament likely to be prorogued until October 14. September 14: Liberal Democrat party conference begins in Bournemouth. Jo Swinson likely to give speech on September 17. September 21: Labour party conference begins in Brighton. Jeremy Corbyn likely to give speech on September 25. September 29: Conservative party conference begins in Manchester. Boris Johnson likely to give speech on October 2. October 14: State Opening of Parliament, including Queen's Speech. October 17/18: EU summit in Brussels. October 21/22: Parliament likely to hold series of votes on Queen's Speech. October 31: UK due to leave EU. Advertisement

The Prime Minister has repeatedly committed to delivering Brexit by October 31 'do or die' and with or without a deal despite vehement opposition to No Deal from many MPs.

But this morning he claimed his call to suspend Parliament in advance of a forthcoming Queen's Speech was ab out domestic policy insisting the idea that he was suspending Parliament in order to stop MPs thwarting No Deal was 'completely untrue'.

He told Sky News: 'As I said on the steps of Downing Street we are not going to wait until October 31 before getting on with our plans to take this country forward and this is a new government with a very exciting agenda to make our streets safer… we need to invest in our fantastic NHS.

'We need to level up education funding across the country, we need to invest in the infrastructure that is going to take this country forward for decades and we need to deal with the cost of living, moving to a high wage, high productivity economy which is what I think this country needs to be.

'To do that we need new legislation. We have got to be bringing forward new and important bills and that is why we are going to have a Queen's Speech and we are going to do it on October 14. We have got to move ahead now with a new legislative programme.'

Mr Johnson said MPs would still have plenty of opportunities to have their say on the UK's departure from the bloc.

'There will be ample time both sides of that crucial October 17 summit, ample time, in Parliament for MPs top debate the EU, to debate Brexit and all the other issues,' he said.

The October 17 date refers to a scheduled meeting of the European Council in Brussels - the last one before the Brexit deadline.

That meeting is shaping up to be a make or break moment for Britain and the bloc because it will likely represent the last chance for a new deal to be agreed.

Mr Johnson is in the process of trying to persuade the EU to delete the Irish border backstop from the existing agreement in order to make it more palatable to MPs.

A diagram showing what could happen next after Boris Johnson announced that Parliament would be prorogued from mid-September until a Queen's Speech in mid-October

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured today) accused the PM of launching a 'smash and grab against our democracy' as he wrote to the Queen to demand a meeting - but the move to prorogue Parliament had already been agreed

What is the prorogation process and how was it begun today at Balmoral? Prorogation is the end of a Parliamentary session. These typically last around a year, although the current one has been running since June 2017. Once Parliament is prorogued, it does not sit again until the next State Opening of Parliament, which features the Queen's Speech. In centuries gone by, it could sometimes be months or years before Parliament would next meet. But in modern times it is usually a matter of days or weeks. It is usually uncontroversial and Boris Johnson's allies argue that today's move is a standard procedural step for a new government, but opponents accused him of trying to lock Parliament out of the Brexit process. The Queen started the ball rolling on the prorogation process today, approving a document at Balmoral which orders Parliament to be prorogued no later than Thursday, September 12. After a meeting with Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg and Lords Leader Baroness Natalie Evans, the Queen approved suspending proceedings for 32 days between September 12 and October 14. Five people are appointed to a Royal Commission to carry out the Queen's orders. On the day itself, they will summon MPs into the House of Lords chamber for the prorogation ceremony. The Queen's orders are read out, and any Bills that are yet to receive Royal Assent are finally rubber-stamped and become law. In a quirky Parliamentary tradition, the Clerk of the Parliament announces the Royal Assent in Norman French: 'La Reyne le veult', or 'The Queen wills it'. A prorogation speech is read out on behalf of the Queen. Like the Queen's Speech, it is written by the Government and reviews its legislative programme over the last year. Parliamentary business is then over for the session and any Bills which have not been passed will usually have to be started afresh in the next session. Advertisement

The PM outlined his decision to suspend Parliament in a letter sent to MPs this morning.

In the letter he said: 'This morning I spoke to Her Majesty The Queen to request an end to the current parliamentary session in the second sitting week in September, before commencing the second session of this Parliament with a Queen's speech on Monday 14 October.

'A central feature of the legislative programme will be the Government's number one legislative priority, if a new deal is forthcoming at EU Council, to introduce a Withdrawal Agreement Bill and move at pace to secure its passage before 31 October.'

Mr Johnson said the weeks leading up to the European Council would be 'vitally important for the sake of my negotiations with the EU' in a sign that he does not want MPs to do anything to derail his hopes of striking an agreement.

He believes the option of a No Deal split is important negotiating leverage.

'Member States are watching what Parliament does with great interest and it is only by showing unity and resolve that we stand a chance of securing a new deal that can be passed by Parliament,' he said.

'In the meantime, the Government will take the responsible approach of continuing its preparations for leaving the EU, with or without a deal.'

Mr Johnson also stressed in his letter that MPs will have the chance to vote on the government's approach to Brexit after the EU Council meeting.

'Should I succeed in agreeing a deal with the EU, Parliament will then have the opportunity to pass the Bill required for ratification of the deal ahead of 31 October,; he said.

Bookmakers responded to the news by slashing the odds of a No Deal Brexit. Betfair put the odds of No Deal split at 5/4 - the shortest odds ever.

Despite Mr Johnson's protestations to the contrary, opposition MPs and Tory rebels responded with fury to the move and accused him of trying to sideline the Commons.

John Bercow labels move to suspend Parliament a 'constitutional outrage' House of Commons Speaker John Bercow has criticised Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament. Mr Bercow said the move was 'an offence against the democratic process'. His intervention represents a significant development because he will play a major role in the coming days if and when Remain-backing MPs try to seize control of the Commons to pass an anti-No Deal law. Mr Bercow will likely have to agree to bend parliamentary rules to allow such a development. He said: 'I have had no contact from the Government, but if the reports that it is seeking to prorogue Parliament are confirmed, this move represents a constitutional outrage. 'However it is dressed up, it is blindingly obvious that the purpose of prorogation now would be to stop Parliament debating Brexit and performing its duty in shaping a course for the country. 'At this time, one of the most challenging periods in our nation's history, it is vital that our elected Parliament has its say. After all, we live in a parliamentary democracy. 'Shutting down Parliament would be an offence against the democratic process and the rights of Parliamentarians as the people's elected representatives.' Advertisement

The move means rebels have only up to five days to spring their plot to stop a No Deal Brexit on October 31.

Remain MPs want to do this by either passing new legislation to delay Brexit or toppling Mr Johnson's government in a vote of no confidence.

They have accused the Prime Minister of a 'constitutional outrage' by getting the Queen to formally approve the suspension order this afternoon as Mr Johnson laid down the gauntlet to Jeremy Corbyn and the 'Remain Alliance'.

Mr Corbyn accused the PM of launching a 'smash and grab against our democracy'.

Before it became clear the prorogation was already a fait accompli he announced he had written to the Queen to demand a meeting - putting the Queen's political neutrality at greater risk than ever.

He said: 'I am appalled at the recklessness of Johnson's government, which talks about sovereignty and yet is seeking to suspend parliament to avoid scrutiny of its plans for a reckless No Deal Brexit. This is an outrage and a threat to our democracy.

'That is why Labour has been working across Parliament to hold this reckless government to account, and prevent a disastrous No Deal which parliament has already ruled out.

'If Johnson has confidence in his plans he should put them to the people in a general election or public vote.'

But some mocked his efforts to drag the monarch into the political fray.

Former Cabinet secretary Lord O'Donnell said: 'The Queen had no choice. She has done exactly the right thing. It is really important that we keep the Queen above politics.'

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith mocked Mr Corbyn's letter, saying: 'The idea that the Queen should overrule her prime minister on something as routine as a new session of parliament shows a complete ignorance of the way our constitution works.

'But it also shows he has been completely wrong-footed. Here we have a man who cannot stand the Queen and wants to get rid of her asking her to use constitutional powers he does not respect in order to overrule a democratically elected government. It is tokenistic nonsense.'

Furious opposition MPs reacted to the news this morning that Parliament would be suspended until shortly before the Brexit deadline

Prorogation: standard Parliamentary practice or unconstitutional coup? The decision to suspend Parliament for a month has been criticised as an 'affront' to Britain's democracy by parliamentary experts. The Hansard Society, an independent group studying parliamentary affairs for more than 70 years, said the length of time involved for the suspension of Parliament was 'both unnecessary and beyond the norm'. Prorogation is the official way of pausing Parliament in order to start a new session and bring about a fresh bout of legislation and while prorogued, Parliament cannot scrutinise the Government and MPs' powers are largely redundant. The current parliamentary session is the longest on record. In the past decade, the maximum amount of time Parliament has been suspended for was 20 days in 2014 but that incorporated European Parliament elections and a recess. Other prorogations have lasted as little as three days. Hansard Society director Dr Ruth Fox said: 'The Government's decision to prorogue Parliament may not be unconstitutional or unlawful but it is an affront to parliamentary democracy. 'The Government's understandable desire to bring this long session to an end and outline a new legislative programme in a Queen's Speech could be met with a prorogation of one to two weeks' duration. 'Anything longer than this is both unnecessary and beyond the norm.' The procedure expert said Mr Johnson's move effectively halved the possible number of days available to debate Britain's divorce from Brussels before the October 31 deadline. She said: 'Without prorogation, if there were no conference recess - and opposition leaders made clear yesterday they would vote against such a recess - then there would be 35 House of Commons sitting days ahead. 'If they chose to sit on Fridays, there would be even more. 'With prorogation, if we assume this happens at the latest on September 11, then there will be 18 sitting days. 'So essentially, this manoeuvre halves the number of pre-Brexit sitting days when Government ministers can be held to account.' Prof Russell, director of the Constitution Unit, a non-partisan research body based at UCL, accused the PM of 'deliberately dodging scrutiny' having only faced questions from MPs in the Commons for a single day since entering Number 10. 'We are in the midst of the biggest political crisis of our post-war history, which is rapidly becoming a constitutional crisis,' said Prof Russell. 'It is frankly extraordinary that the Prime Minister, in these circumstances, has faced only one day of parliamentary scrutiny and is now seeking to shut Parliament down. 'It appears the Prime Minister is deliberately dodging scrutiny and denying MPs a voice.' Advertisement

Outrage from Labour and Remainers came thick and fast.

Labour deputy leader Tom Watson called it an 'utterly scandalous affront to our democracy' and said: 'We must not let this happen'.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: 'So it seems Boris Johnson may actually be about to shut down Parliament to force through a No Deal Brexit.

'Unless MPs come together to stop him next week, today will go down in history as a dark one indeed for UK democracy.'

Labour's Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, compared Mr Johnson to King Charles I, whose defiance of Parliament ended in a war and the King's execution in 1649.

'A constitutional outrage plain and simple, Charles I did this regularly which caused chaos, now an unelected PM seeking to shut parliament down for his own political gain, this isn't taking back democracy this is destroying democracy,' she said.

Fellow Labour MP and chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee Yvette Cooper tweeted: 'Boris Johnson is trying to use the Queen to concentrate power in his own hands - this is a deeply dangerous and irresponsible way to govern.'

Green MP Caroline Lucas said on Twitter: 'Wasn't this meant to be about 'taking back control'?

'The act of a cowardly Prime Minister who knows his reckless No Deal Brexit will never gain the support of MPs. A constitutional outrage which Parliament and the people will oppose.'

Independent Group for Change MP Chris Leslie said: 'If true, this undemocratic manoeuvre to try and shut down Parliament must be fought every step of the way.

'How totally underhanded of Boris Johnson to make the Queen sign off on this plot it in a secret ceremony up in Balmoral. The House of Commons must assemble and veto this.'

Lib Dem and former Tory MP Sarah Wollaston said Mr Johnson was 'behaving like a tin pot dictator'.

'Time for ministers to resign & Conservative MPs to cross the floor rather than be tainted with this outrage,' she said.

Labour shadow minister Clive Lewis said MPs would refuse to leave the Commons if and when Mr Johnson tries to shut Parliament's doors.

He said: 'If Boris shuts down Parliament to carry out his No-Deal Brexit, I and other MPs will defend democracy.

'The police will have to remove us from the chamber. We will call on people to take to the streets. We will call an extraordinary session of Parliament.'

Boris Johnson defends decision to prorogue Parliament The Prime Minister detailed his decision to suspend Parliament in a television interview this morning. Here is what he said in full: 'As I said on the steps of Downing Street, we are not going to wait until October 31 before getting on with our plans to take this country forward. 'And this is a new Government with a very exciting agenda to make our streets safer - it's very important we bring violent crime down;we need to invest in our fantastic NHS; we need to level up education funding across the country; we need to invest in the infrastructure that's going to take this country forward for decades; and we need to deal with the cost of living, moving to a high-wage, high-productivity economy, which is, I think, what this country needs to be. 'And to do that, we need new legislation, we've got to be bringing forward new and important Bills, and that's why we are going to have a Queen's Speech and we're going to do it on October 14 and we've got to move ahead now with a new legislative programme.' When it was put to Mr Johnson that his critics will say proroguing Parliament is an insult to democracy and a way to deny MPs' time to stop a chaotic split from the EU on October 31, the Prime Minister said: 'That is completely untrue. If you look at what we're doing, we're bringing forward a new legislative programme on crime, on hospitals, and making sure that we have the education funding that we need. 'And there will be ample time on both sides of that crucial October 17 summit, ample time in Parliament for MPs to debate the EU, to debate Brexit, and all the other issues. Ample time.' Asked whether he was planning a general election before the end of the year, Mr Johnson said: 'No. What you should take from this is we're doing exactly what I said on the steps of Downing Street, which is that we must get on now with our legislative domestic agenda. 'People will expect... I need to... we need to get on with the stuff that Parliament needs to approve on tackling crime, on building the infrastructure we need, on technology, on levelling up our education, and reducing the cost of living. 'That is why we need a Queen's Speech, and we're going to get on with it.' Asked what he would say to members of the public who may be concerned, the PM said: 'We need to get on with our domestic agenda and that's why we're announcing a Queen's Speech for October 14.' Advertisement

Mr Corbyn today did not commit to calling a vote of no confidence in the government next week as he said he could call one 'at some point'.

But the prospect of such a vote taking place before MPs are sent home now looks increasingly likely.

The chances of it succeeding are also growing after a number of Tory Remain-backing MPs expressed their disgust at Mr Johnson.

Dominic Grieve, the Tory former attorney general who has previously been involved in efforts to stop a bad break from Brussels, said: 'I think [a no confidence vote] is more likely, because if it is impossible to prevent prorogation, then I think it's going to be very difficult for people like myself to keep confidence in the government, and I could well see why the leader of the opposition might wish to table a motion for a vote of no confidence.'

Philip Hammond, the Tory former chancellor, echoed a similar sentiment as he said: 'It would be a constitutional outrage if Parliament were prevented from holding the government to account at a time of national crisis. Profoundly undemocratic.'

MPs yesterday committed to setting up a 'People's Parliament' in a building a stone's throw away from the Palace of Westminster in the event of prorogation.

However, a Number 10 source told BBC News that 'this is about the NHS and violent crime, not Brexit, and the courts have no locus to interfere in a bog standard Queen's Speech process'.

Downing Street dismissed accusations of chicanery by pointing out that under Mr Johnson's plan MPs would sit for just a handful of days fewer than they would have done anyway because of the scheduled break for party conferences to be held at the end of September.

A Whitehall source told MailOnline a new Queen's Speech was needed because the government had simply run out of domestic laws to pursue.

The source said: 'We have gone through the bottom of the barrel. We need to put some more stuff in there.'

Tory Party chairman James Cleverly mocked claims that Mr Johnson was trying to stop MPs blocking a No Deal split.

He tweeted: 'Or to put it another way: Government to hold a Queen's Speech, just as all new Governments do.'

Nigel Farage, the leader of the Brexit Party, said proroguing Parliament 'makes a confidence motion now certain, a general election more likely and is seen as a positive move by Brexiteers'.

Former Chancellor Philip Hammond said MPs will now move against the Government to stop no deal next week, and cannot wait until the scheduled debate on Brexit in late September.

Under the timetable set out by Boris Johnson, Parliament will not debate Brexit or the upcoming Queen's speech until October 21 and 22.

Mr Hammond said he had 'always made clear that I am not interested in bringing down the Government' but that he wanted the Government to acknowledge that 'the majority is opposed to a no deal Brexit.'

He suggested that MPs should move against no deal when Parliament returns on September 3.

Clive Lewis, a shadow Treasury minister, tweeted that MPs would refuse to leave the Commons if the PM does try to shut down Parliament

How could MPs seize control of the House of Commons and pass an anti-No Deal law? Opposition leaders' plan to seize control of the House of Commons to pass an anti-No Deal law is likely to be reliant on John Bercow to get off the ground. Convention dictates that it is the government of the day which sets the agenda in the Commons. So if the Remainers are to kickstart their plan they will need the Commons Speaker to bend or break the rules. Their plan is likely to then begin with a simple vote on whether there is a majority of MPs in favour of backbenchers taking control of the order paper. Assuming there is, MPs will then agree a date in the diary when they will be able to present, debate and vote on draft legislation designed to stop Boris Johnson from taking the UK out of the EU without an agreement. The government will fiercely contest such a move but with Mr Johnson's majority now at just one, it will only take a small rebellion by Tory Europhile MPs to allow the plan to proceed. Should the bid to pass a law actually come to fruition the question will then be whether the PM will take any notice of it. It has been suggested in the past that he could simply ignore such a move. But if he did he would risk triggering an unprecedented constitutional crisis. Advertisement

The current Parliamentary session, which started in June 2017, is the longest in British history.

However, the move to bring it to an end has been received by critics as nothing less than an attempt to stop MPs having a meaningful role in the Brexit process.

Just yesterday, cross-party talks led by Mr Corbyn ended in a commitment from the leaders of six parties to try to stop a No Deal Brexit by seizing control of the Commons and passing new legislation which would force Mr Johnson to seek an extension from the EU.

The option of a no confidence vote was put on the back burner.

But MPs cannot pass legislation if Parliament is not sitting and Mr Johnson's decision means they will have less time than anticipated to try to take control.

Under the previous Parliamentary timetable, Commons business would have broken off for the party conference season in the middle of September before restarting at the start of October.

Now, time will be much tighter not only because of the additional time MPs will be away from Westminster but also because the Queen's Speech will dominate proceedings when they return on October 14.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Commons Leader, flew to Balmoral in Scotland today to present the plan to the Queen in person.

The Privy Council - effectively a committee with a large membership of senior MPs and peers who take it in turns to attend - then formally approved the prorogation order this afternoon.

The Parliamentary session will now be prorogued just a few days after MPs return from their summer recess next week.

The shortened timetable means MPs could now move away from the idea of passing legislation and instead swing behind the option of a vote of no confidence which convention dictates would have to be called for by Mr Corbyn.

A successful vote of no confidence could then lead to an early election, potentially in November.

Craig Oliver, who was Downing Street Director of Communications under David Cameron, tweeted: 'I suspect Number 10 believes it has created a win win scenario with this explosive announcement.

The Privy Council, meeting at Balmoral, today approved the order to prorogue Parliament at some point in the week beginning September 9

Sajid Javid, the Chancellor, was spotted with his head in his hands today as photographers snapped him through the open door of Number 11 Downing Street

Longest Parliamentary session in history is about to end The current session of Parliament has been the longest in the history of the United Kingdom. It formally began on June 21, 2017 with the State Opening, including the Queen's Speech. A total of 798 days have since passed, making this the longest continuous parliamentary session since the UK was established by the Acts of Union in 1800. The previous record-holder was the session of 2010-12, which lasted 707 calendar days from the State Opening on May 25, 2010 to prorogation on May 1, 2012. In joint third place are the sessions that ran from April 1966 to October 1967 and from May 1997 to November 1998 - both of which followed Labour election victories and lasted 554 days. Parliament is typically prorogued once a year, followed shortly afterwards by another State Opening and Queen's Speech. But in 2017, the Government announced the current session was to last two years to pass the key legislation needed to allow the UK's departure from the European Union.


'Yes - and they get Brexit by October 31st; No - and they get to fight a 'people versus parliament' general election.'

In normal circumstances a prime minister who loses a vote of no confidence would resign.

But a senior official said this morning that Mr Johnson would likely try to disregard the vote and call an election.

The official told the Financial Times: 'If MPs pass a no confidence vote next week then we won't resign.

'We won't recommend another government, we'll dissolve parliament, call an election between November 1-5 and there'll be zero chance of Grieve legislation.'

Mr Corbyn's plan to stop No Deal was to call a no confidence vote, topple Mr Johnson, become caretaker PM, ask the EU for a Brexit delay and then call a snap election.

But many opposition MPs are against the idea of putting Mr Corbyn in Number 10 even if it is just for a limited amount of time.

Other opposition figures had called for a compromise candidate who would be more likely to command a cross-party Commons majority as an interim prime minister.

But Mr Corbyn has remained adamant that it should be him who tries to form a new administration.

That led to yesterday's commitment by opposition leaders following a summit convened by Mr Corbyn to pursue a legislative route to stopping No Deal instead.

The summit was attended by Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, Independent Group for Change leader Anna Soubry, Plaid Cymru leader Liz Saville Roberts and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas.

Last night, Mr Corbyn wrote an extraordinary plea to dozens of Tory MPs urging them to defy Mr Johnson.

His letter – to 116 Tory and independent MPs, including Theresa May and Philip Hammond – asked them to support efforts to block a No Deal Brexit.

The plan to take control of the House of Commons would likely need help from Mr Bercow in order for it to get off the ground.

If MPs do stick to their plan to try to pass a law blocking No Deal, they will need to find a way of forcing a vote on giving them control of the Commons agenda and that will probably require Mr Bercow to depart from convention to make it happen.

Once a way is found to show there is a majority in favour of such a move, MPs will then set aside time in the diary for them to debate and vote on an anti-No Deal law.

In order to secure such a majority, a number of Tory MPs will have to break ranks and vote with the opposition and Mr Corbyn wrote to them yesterday afternoon to ask for their assistance.

MPs did previously force through the so-called Cooper-Letwin bill in April which forced then-PM Theresa May to seek an extension.

That passed by just one vote.

Allies of Mr Johnson hit out at the opposition leaders, claiming they would 'sabotage' the chances of progress on a Brexit deal.

A Number 10 source said: 'We are now making progress because our European partners realise we are serious about leaving the EU on October 31 - no ifs, no buts.

'It's utterly perverse that Corbyn and his allies are actively seeking to sabotage the UK's position.'

Talk of an early election has intensified after Chancellor Sajid Javid's spending announcement was brought forward to next week.

The statement on September 4 will deliver extra funding for 'people's priorities' including schools, hospitals and the police, Mr Javid said.

Mr Javid asked for a 12-month spending round instead of a longer-term exercise as a way of 'clearing the decks to allow us to focus on Brexit'.

But Labour dismissed the announcement as a 'pre-election stunt' and claimed the Government was in a state of panic.

Mr Farage yesterday urged Mr Johnson to take Britain out of the EU without an agreement.

Saying he would work with the Tories if they delivered a No Deal Brexit Mr Farage said: 'A Johnson government committed to doing the right thing and the Brexit Party working in tandem would be unstoppable.'

But he also unveiled a 635-strong army of Brexit Party MP candidates as he warned Mr Johnson not to 'sell out' Leave voters.

'If, Mr Johnson, you insist on the Withdrawal Agreement, we will fight you for every single seat' at a general election, Mr Farage warned, setting up a possible showdown on two fronts for the PM.