A group of MPs has launched a legal bid to block Boris Johnson from shutting down Parliament to ram through no deal Brexit .
The cross-party group of politicians, including Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, SNP MP Joanna Cherry and independent MP Heidi Allen, lodged legal papers in Edinburgh today.
The case could be heard within the next month.
It’s thought the bid was launched in Scotland because the Court of Session continues to sit through the summer.
It comes after reports Boris Johnson was planning to suspend the House of Commons until after the Brexit deadline, so MPs wouldn’t have a chance to block it in Parliament.
Hard Brexiteers believe suspending Parliament – formally called “proroguing” could thwart attempts to scupper a no-deal exit.
The UK is due to quit the EU by October 31 – and Boris Johnson has insisted we’ll leave on Halloween “do or die”.
(Image: PA)
One plan could be to table a Queen’s Speech, where the monarch outlines the Government’s plans for the next session, for November.
By tradition, MPs do not sit for about two weeks running up to the state occasion – meaning they would be unable to foil Mr Johnson’s plan.
The politicians putting their names to the legal documents filed in Edinburgh today are:
- Joanna Cherry MP (SNP)
- Jo Swinson MP (Lib Dems)
- Ian Murray MP (Labour)
- Geraint Davies MP (Labour)
- Hywel Williams MP (Plaid Cymru)
- Heidi Allen MP (Independent)
- Angela Smith MP (Labour)
- Lord Hain (Labour)
- Baroness Jones of Moulescomb (Green)
- Baroness Royall of Blaisdon (Labour)
- Lord Winston (Labour)
- Lord Wood of Anfield (Labour)
- Debbie Abrahams MP (Labour)
- Rushanara Ali MP (Labour)
- Tonia Antoniazzi MP (Labour)
- Hannah Bardell MP (SNP)
- Roberta Blackman Woods MP (Labour)
- Ben Bradshaw MP (Labour)
- Tom Brake MP (Lib Dem)
- Karen Buck MP (Labour)
- Ruth Cadbury MP (Labour)
- Marsha Cordova MP (Labour)
- Ronnie Cowan MP (SNP)
- Neil Coyle MP (Labour)
