Government hints at election, prorogation and Brexit extension
The Attorney General has hinted that the government may be poised to seek an election for a third time, during a fiery opening session after parliament reconvened.
Answering questions in the wake of yesterday’s Supreme Court judgement that the original suspension was “unlawful, void and of no effect”, Geoffrey Cox told MPs the government would abide by the ruling.
But asked by Oliver Letwin explicitly if that meant the government would not seek to prorogue parliament again before 31 October, Cox dodged the question.
“What I can say is that there will be no prorogation that doesn’t comply with the terms of the Supreme Court,” he said.
Cox also repeatedly slammed what he called a “dead parliament” and urged Labour to bring a motion for a general election, before appearing to inadvertently reveal plans for the government to attempt the move itself.
In response to a question from the SNP’s Patricia Gibson, he urged the MP to “vote for the election motion that is coming shortly”.
Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg is expected to set out business for the rest of the week later this afternoon, following a statement from Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
But even a one-line bill, requiring a simple majority unlike the Fixed Term Parliaments Act which requires a two-thirds majority, will present a challenge for the Prime Minister.
After removing the whip from 21 “rebel” MPs, and suffering resignations from Philip Lee and Sam Gyimah who both quit to join the Liberal Democrats, Johnson now has a minority government, even with the DUP’s “confidence and supply” agreement.
Cox also appeared to open the door to the UK staying in the European Union after 31 October.
Asked by Conservative-turned-independent MP Nick Boles whether the government would abide by the Benn Act, which requires that the Prime Minister seek an extension to Article 50 if no deal is in place by 19 October, Cox simply said: “Yes”.
Rumours have been swirling that the government has been working on a “secret plan” to circumvent this law. One Tory MP told City A.M. lawyers at Conservative HQ had now seen the plan and thought it was legal.
It was said to be “quite a good wheeze” – but the source added: “Legal wheezes might now be out of fashion.”
During the back-and-forth Cox also slammed “cowardly” Labour for failing to go to the polls “while they block 17.4 million votes”.
“This parliament is a dead parliament. It should no longer sit. It has no moral right to sit on these green benches.”
“This parliament is a disgrace,” he added. “This parliament should have the courage to face the electorate… The time is coming when even these turkeys wont be able to prevent Christmas.”
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