Tory MPs were in revolt today as the Commons voted to stop Boris Johnson forcing through a No Deal Brexit .
MPs backed an amendment, 315-274, designed to make it much more difficult for the next Prime Minister to suspend Parliament to force through No Deal.
Boris Johnson has refused to rule out “proroguing” – suspending – Parliament just before October 31 to stop MPs blocking a No Deal Brexit .
But today’s amendment will force Parliament to meet – in theory to discuss unrelated issues about Northern Ireland – even if it has been prorogued.
Some 17 Tories backed the amendment despite orders not to – including minister Margot James who resigned – and 30 more either abstained or were absent.
Those who did not vote included pro-EU Cabinet ministers Philip Hammond, David Gauke, Greg Clark and Rory Stewart. Tory leadership contender Jeremy Hunt also did not vote.
Scroll down to see the 17 Tory rebels in full.
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
But the Prime Minister has decided not to sack any of those who disobeyed the whip instead suggesting it was an issue for her successor.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister is obviously disappointed that a number of Ministers failed to vote in this afternoon’s division. No doubt her successor will take this into account when forming their government.”
(Image: Leon Neal)
Some abstainers may have had another reason such as prior commitments or illness.
The amendment is not an outright ban on suspending Parliament, but would make it much more difficult to do so.
Furious Northern Ireland minister John Penrose branded the amendment – to the unrelated Northern Ireland Bill – a “stitch-up”.
(Image: PA)
Mr Penrose told MPs: “Not only is this amendment dangerously partisan, weaponising a Northern Ireland Bill for Brexit in a way which we usually, rightly, try to avoid.
“It could easily put us through all of that grief for no good reason at all if it fails to become law.”
But Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer said: “For Boris Johnson to try to shut down Parliament to force through a destructive ‘no deal’ Brexit would be a constitutional outrage.
“Now it would also be unlawful. A huge victory.”
And Tory former Attorney General Dominic Grieve said MPs’ role as “protectors of democracy” will be “shot to pieces” if they fail to stop propagation.
(Image: EPA-EFE/REX)
It comes hours after Boris Johnson said he would ramp up planning for No Deal after taking office.
The Tory leadership frontrunner has said he will take the UK out of the EU “do or die” on October 31, deal or no deal.
But today the government’s official spending watchdog predicted No Deal Brexit would trigger a year-long UK recession starting this winter.
In the first forecast of its kind, the Office for Budget Responsibility said a recession would begin in the final three months of 2019 if the UK leaves without agreement.
The pound would drop in value instantly by 10% – while unemployment would rise by more than a quarter.
GDP would fall 2% by the end of 2020, around the same as the early 1990s recession and a third of what was seen in the 2008 financial crisis.
In all No Deal would add about £30billion a year to government borrowing from 2021, the OBR said – or, put another way, £577million a week.
That in turn would hike the UK’s net debt by 12% of GDP by March 2024.
Despite the drastic findings, OBR forecasters said their stress test was “by no means a worst-case scenario”.
17 Tory rebels who backed the amendment
Guto Bebb
Steve Brine
Alistair Burt
Jonathan Djanogly
Justine Greening
Dominic Grieve
Sam Gyimah
Richard Harrington
Margot James
Phillip Lee
Jeremy Lefroy
Oliver Letwin
Paul Masterton
Sarah Newton
Antoinette Sandbach
Keith Simpson
Edward Vaizey
