Johnson Refuses to Rule Out Suspending Parliament: Brexit Update
Johnson Zigzags Again, Says No-Deal Exit Unlikely: Brexit Update
(Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson’s Brexit strategy faces growing opposition from Tory members of Parliament determined to prevent a no-deal Brexit, despite the leadership front-runner saying there was only a “million-to-one” chance of it happening. Even Theresa May hinted she might be willing to vote against Johnson -- or his rival Jeremy Hunt -- if they pursued it.
Key Developments:
- Tory leadership rivals Johnson and Jeremy Hunt to hold another hustings at 7 p.m.
- Prime Minister Theresa May is in Japan for G-20 meeting
- IFS says Hunt’s tax and spending plans would cost 28 billion pounds ($36 billion) a year
- Tory MP Dominic Grieve proposed amendment to public spending limits, to try to make a no-deal Brexit practically impossible
- Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono says his government is “very concerned” about a no-deal Brexit
Hunt Says He’d Be Out If He Fails on Brexit (8:15 p.m.)
Jeremy Hunt said the reality of British politics is that no leader could survive if they don’t quickly deliver the U.K.’s split from the EU.
“No prime minister is going to last any time at all if they don”t deliver Brexit and deliver it very quickly. That is the reality of British politics. that’s not about Jeremy Hunt, it’s about anyone who does that job,” Hunt said at a Hustings event for Tory members.
He also reiterated his commitment to a no-deal divorce if talks fail. “If we get to October and there is no prospect of a deal that we can get through Parliament and no deal is on the table, as I sincerely hope it would be, then I’m absolutely clear I will leave,” he said.
Johnson Refuses to Rule Out Proroguing (7:50 p.m.)
Boris Johnson refused to rule out suspending Parliament in order to force through a no-deal Brexit on Oct 31, even though he said he thought it was unlikely and he isn’t attracted to the idea.
Proroguing, or suspending, Parliament is one method a prime minister could use in order to ensure the U.K. Leaves the EU on Oct. 31, however it could cause a constitutional crisis.
“I’m not attracted to the idea of a no deal exit from the EU but I think it would be absolute folly to rule it out,” Johnson said when asked if he would rule out suspending Parliament at a Hustings event for Tory Party members. "I don’t particularly envisage the circumstances in which it would be necessary to prorogue Parliament, nor am I attracted to that expedient," he said.
No Food Shortages if No Deal, Johnson Says (7:25 pm)
Boris Johnson, speaking at a hustings event for Tory members in Bournemouth, southern England, dismissed warnings about the economic risks of a no-deal Brexit, saying it was “nonsense”.
“The planes will fly, there will be drinking water whatever happens on Nov. 1 in this country and there will be milk solids and glucose and whey for our Mars Bars,” he said, without giving any details of how he would ensure supplies. “Where there’s a will there’s a way.”
Food industry experts last year warned the government that makers of the chocolate bar could be forced to halt production in a hard Brexit scenario and the price of confectionery could rise drastically.
PSA Building Astra in U.K. Depends on Brexit Terms (4 p.m.)
French carmaker PSA said its final decision on whether to build the next-generation Astra model at its Ellesmere Port plant in the U.K. will depend on the terms of any Brexit deal, as well as the ratification of an agreement negotiated with the workers’ trade union.
The Astra is currently built at Ellesmere Port, in northwest England, and Gliwice
in Poland.
Clarke Will Back No-Deal Brexit Spending Threat (3:30 p.m.)
Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Ken Clarke said he’ll be supporting a measure that would shut down parts of government spending in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Clarke told journalists he’d vote for an amendment, put down by former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, which would cut off funding to some departments if the government takes the U.K. out of the EU with no deal unless it first gets Parliament’s approval.
Theresa May’s office has called the amendment, which could be voted on next week, “grossly irresponsible” and said it would potentially cut off funding for schools, housing and welfare. Some MPs may feel queasy backing something that could do that, but Clarke’s comments suggest the move has at least some support.
Clarke also said he wouldn’t back an immediate no confidence vote in the new prime minister, but would wait to see how they approach Brexit. “Come September,” he said, “the new prime minister will have to explain to the House of Commons what he is actually planning to do.”
May Hints She May Oppose No-Deal in Parliament (12 p.m.)
Theresa May signaled she might be willing to oppose her successor as prime minister if he tries to force the U.K. out of the European Union without a deal.
Speaking to reporters on her way to the Group of 20 summit in Japan, May declined to promise she will follow the orders of Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt in votes on Brexit policy. She has already voted against leaving the EU without an agreement, arguing it would disrupt trade and damage the economy.
Asked if she could guarantee she will support her successor’s plan, even if it meant no-deal, May was equivocal. “What you are saying to me is, ‘will you now say that whatever happens in the future you’re going to agree with it?’’ she said. “I think it’s important for us to deliver Brexit in a way that is good for British people.”
May also indicated she’s opposed to the idea of suspending Parliament to get a no-deal Brexit done -- something Boris Johnson has not yet fully ruled out.
“What I hope and expect is that my successor will be able to put before Parliament proposals that will enable us to deliver on the vote of the British people in a way that will be good for the United Kingdom,” she said.
Brecon By-Election set for Aug. 1 (9:40 a.m.)
A by-election in Brecon and Radnorshire will be held on Aug. 1. Chief Whip Julian Smith moved the writ for the replacement of Tory MP Chris Davies, who was convicted of fiddling his expenses and removed by a recall position.
The constituency was held by the Liberal Democrats for 18 years before Davies won in 2015, and it will offer them and Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party an opportunity to turn their momentum -- after successes in last month’s European elections -- into representation in the House of Commons.
Johnson Silent on Parliament Saying ‘No’ (9:30 a.m.)
Boris Johnson has again refused to say what he’ll do if Parliament tells him not to pursue a no-deal Brexit. Asked five times in his ConservativeHome interview what he’d do, Johnson first said it would be wrong for Parliament to do this, then, twice, that Parliament wouldn’t do it, then that he was determined to leave the EU on Oct. 31. He then said he didn’t want, or plan, to have a general election if Parliament tried to block him.
Asked if he would ignore Parliament, he replied: “I’m not quite saying that. What I’m saying is that the parliamentary mood has changed and continues to change.”
Despite his confidence, there’s nothing to suggest that every Tory MP is willing to vote for a no-deal Brexit, or that Labour MPs are moving in his direction. Indeed his plan to exclude from his government every Tory who won’t sign up to leaving the EU without a deal (see 9:15 a.m.) implies there will be a large number of former ministers freed to vote their conscience -- and who will owe the new prime minister nothing.
Johnson Says Cabinet Must Commit to Oct. 31 (9:15 a.m.)
Boris Johnson said that if he becomes prime minister, he will require every member of his cabinet to sign up to leaving the European Union on October 31 -- even if it means leaving without a deal.
“I want obviously to have a broad range of talent in my government, the government that I will lead, but clearly people must be reconciled to the very, very, very small possibility, and I stress it will be a very, very small possibility, that we would have to leave on those terms,’’ Johnson said in an interview with the ConHome website. “I don’t think it will happen but they would have to be reconciled to it.”
The move could rule out senior Tories, including Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, Business Secretary Greg Clark and Justice Secretary David Gauke, who oppose a no-deal divorce, from being part of a Johnson administration.
Japan ‘Very Concerned’ About No-Deal: Kono (8:30 a.m.)
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said his government is “very concerned” at the prospect of a no-deal Brexit and the effect it would have on Japanese companies working in the U.K.
There are more than 1,000 Japanese companies in Britain and a no-deal split “would have a very negative impact on their operations,” Kono said in an interview with BBC radio. “Many companies are worried about the implications, they don’t know what’s going to happen, they don’t know what’s going to happen legally or physically.”
He said automakers in the U.K. would be particularly affected by any change to customs arrangements with the EU if it disrupts their just-in-time movement of components. “If there’s a no-deal Brexit and they have to go through actual customs inspections physically, those operations may not be able to continue.’’
“Some companies have already started moving their operations to other places in Europe,’’ he said. “We don’t want to disrupt the economic relationship with the U.K., we’ve been asking the U.K. government ‘let the Japanese companies know what they can expect’ and things should happen smoothly without any disruption.’’
Earlier:
--With assistance from Thomas Penny and Tim Ross.
To contact the reporters on this story: Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.net;Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Thomas Penny
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