As if there weren’t enough excitement in Westminster, Gina Miller has introduced the new crew of her HMS True and Fair to a room of 60-ish staff and supporters — two orders of magnitude more than her launch less than a year ago. She will take heart from this. If this continues, she will indeed get the five to seven MPs she expects at the next election, and will hold the balance of power in a hung Parliament. Guido wouldn’t want to offend a power-brokering king-maker so herewith a digest of her launch speech giving “voice to people who scream at their TVs.”
We will clean up politics because governments can’t be trusted — they are focused on winning. The complacent and complicit Conservative Party is a cult with no interest in the country. We need a reset, a complete re-think and get candidates who aren’t interested in their career and not weighed down by ego. We will make it against the law for politicians to say things that aren’t true. People are not stupid. We have serious decisions to make. Where are the checks and balances? The NHS is setting up war rooms. It is a stain on us all. It bloodstains us. We must stop playing political games and give consultants money and bring in foreigners to take care of us. Home heating is a human right. Closing tax loopholes will raise £32bn. We reject unicorn thinking and will make this country true and fair again.
In the spirit of constructive advice — to reduce the size of a majority in the next election’s “landslide” you probably wouldn’t want to be standing against Conservatives. And to avoid internal division don’t call your party two names: the True faction will be tearing chunks out of your Fair faction as soon as the election is called.
Perhaps it will never actually matter. And their screaming at the TV will never stop.
Despite this morning’s compromise – quelling Common’s Rebel commander Bob Neill and making MPs passing the Internal Market Bill a likelihood next week – Government sources are not at all confident of getting the Bill over the next hurdle – the Lords. The earliest the bill could go to the Upper Chamber is the 28th September. There it faces not only opposition from a lawyer-stuffed house dominated by non-Tory remainers Peers, but also Brexiteers like Michael Howard who have today refused to accept the compromise. One Lords source tells Guido that after the Commons won a concession the Lords will expect something now too…
In reality, the Government is considering a likely defeat. A senior source tells Guido that in the event the Bill is rejected by the Lords then the Government would have to convene a new session of Parliament in order to ‘Parliament Act’ the legislation through without the Lords’ consent. To convene a new session the Government would have to prorogue Parliament again (Because it went so well last time)…
If the EU fails to engage constructively by Boris’s 15th October deadline, talks will be cut off. After that date, heading for no FTA, the UK will either seek to escape the jurisdiction of the Withdrawal Agreement by declaring the EU did not act in good faith, or act more decisively to start a new session of Parliament to get the Internal Market Bill past the Lords. Or both.
There were incredible scenes in Parliament last night, as the prorogation ceremony ran without a hitch; totally devoid of any singing from Labour MPs and without a tantrum from Bercow. Watch the footage above while we wait for Baroness Hale to decide whether this one’s ok or not…
Former prime minister turned anti-prorogation crusader John Major is about to giving evidence to the Supreme Court today. Major has already been widely mocked for his hypocrisy given his 1997 pre-general election prorogation which shut down the cash for access report being published, it’s largely forgotten that he’d already used the same ruse the previous year.
Back in 1996 the Commons didn’t even usually sit in September – only in 2003 did that change. So in 1996 the Commons had not sat for close on to two and a half months, between 25 July and 14 October, due to summer recess, Major still decided to prorogue for 7 days three days after returning, ostensibly to have a Queens Speech. Meaning parliament didn’t sit for a full three
Mid to late 1996 was rather fraught time for Major, with the cash for access scandal already in full swing (Hamilton and Greer withdrew their libel action on 30 September 1996). So a three-month break in parliament was a welcome relief from difficult questions.
What will Major’s next move be? Perhaps he’ll condemn Boris for adultery…
Boris’s planned prorogation of Parliament is lawful, says judge at the highest court in Scotland. Another defeat for QC Jolyon and Joanna Cherry MP.
The news of Boris’s planned prorogation has naturally sent Remainers into hysterics, calling the move “undemocratic“, “outrageous” and comparing the PM to a “tin pot dictator” – all for using a bog-standard procedural technique. It’s set to be an entertaining day…
As Guido has reported before, prorogation has historically been used by Attlee, Major and Canadian PM Stephen Harper for political purposes. The move is even less surprising when taking into account the UK is currently enjoying the longest Parliamentary session ever since 1653, so a Queen’s Speech is long overdue.
Whilst everyone else is losing their heads, Guido thought it would be helpful to remind everyone that John Major’s prorogation – which he used to cover up the cash for questions scandal – lasted from the March 21 until the 1997 General Election: a period of 6 weeks, compare this to today’s announced prorogation that will result in Parliament losing only 4 sitting days. One rule for remainers, another for Boris.
