Boris Johnson news – LIVE: No 10 ‘cancels staff leave to prepare for no-deal’ as fears of chaotic Brexit mount

Follow all the latest developments as they happened

Prime Minister Boris Johnson repeats his Brexit plans: 'We are going to leave the EU on the 31 October'

Jeremy Corbyn called on cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill to rule that the prime minister cannot go ahead with a no-deal Brexit if there is a general election, saying it would be an “anti-democratic abuse of power”.

Andy McDonald, shadow cabinet secretary, called on Sir Mark to be the “voice of sanity” if Boris Johnson tries to push ahead with no deal despite losing a confidence vote in the Commons.

It came as transport minister George Freeman suggested a no-deal exit would be an “absolute disaster” which would keep the Tories “out of office for two decades”. The Conservatives were accused of “breaking the economy” after GDP figures showed the UK economy shrank.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan warned Boris Johnson the Metropolitan Police is "under-resourced and over-stretched" and needs more police officers urgently to deal with knife crime.

His plea to the prime minister came just days after a 28-year-old policeman was seriously injured when he was attacked by a man with a machete in Leyton, east London.

And foreign secretary Dominic Raab called for an independent investigation into recent events in Hong Kong during a phone call with the city's chief executive.

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Key Points

• Corbyn asks cabinet secretary to rule out no-deal Brexit during election
• Labour says Sir Mark Sedwill should be 'voice of sanity'
• Tories accused of 'breaking the economy' as GDP shrinks 0.2 per cent
• Tory minister says no-deal Brexit would be 'absolute disaster'
• PM tells civil service 31 October exit his his 'top priority'
• Sadiq Khan warns PM Metropolitan Police needs more officers quickly
• Foreign secretary calls for independent investigation into Hong Kong

[9 August 2019 08:38 · Adam Forrest]

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of events at Westminster and beyond. Jeremy Corbyn has written to the cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, asking him to rule that Boris Johnson cannot push ahead with a no-deal Brexit on 31 October if we are in the midst of a general election.

[9 August 2019 08:41 · Adam Forrest]

Here’s our political correspondent Lizzy Buchan with more on Jeremy Corbyn’s letter to Sir Mark Sedwill.

[9 August 2019 08:44 · Adam Forrest]

The cabinet secretary is expected to offer “some voice of sanity” if Boris Johnson tries to push ahead with a no-deal Brexit despite losing a confidence vote, Labour has said.

Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald, asked if it is the job of Sir Mark Sedwill to give a ruling, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “When the prime minister of the day is intent on departing from protocols, custom and practice that has served us well over many hundreds of years, we do need to have some voice of sanity.

“If it cannot come from the politician and immediate adviser to the prime minister, then we have no other choice than to go to the head of the civil service and say ‘you’re the custodian of the civil service, you’ve got a role to play here and we do expect you to intervene and guide and advise’.”

Mr McDonald said Labour is committed to putting “whatever deal is negotiated back to the people”.

Pressed if Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn would be leading a government which wants to remain in the EU or negotiating to leave, Mr McDonald said: “We would be negotiating a deal and we could go down these hypothetical rabbit holes forever.”

[9 August 2019 08:47 · Adam Forrest]

Sir Vince Cable said the Liberal Democrats and a “significant number” of Tories would support a no-confidence motion in the government.

Speaking on BBC’s Newsnight, the former Lib Dem leader said there would be wide support for an “emergency administration” to take over if Boris Johnson loses a motion of no confidence.

Sir Vince said some MPs would not be able to support a new government led by Jeremy Corbyn, but that they may be able to support a “more broadly based group”.

He said parliament would reject a no-deal Brexit because the “consequences are so dire”. He also said when no-deal is “staring MPs in the face” many would “get behind” an emergency administration.

Sir Vince added: “We would certainly support a no confidence motion, and I think a significant number of Tories would do as well. And that is the way we are going to stop this.”

[9 August 2019 08:49 · Adam Forrest]

Chancellor Sajid Javid is “fast-tracking” plans to fund multi-billion pound public spending pledges in a move that will fuel speculation of a looming general election.

Here’s Lizzy Buchan with the latest.

[9 August 2019 09:00 · Adam Forrest]

Liberal Democrat Chuka Umunna claimed a “substantial minority” of Labour MPs would not support their party leader Jeremy Corbyn being prime minister.

The former Labour and Change UK MP told the Today programme: “The problem there is with the prospect of Jeremy Corbyn taking up the role of leading an emergency government is he cannot command a majority among his own MPs, never mind others like Conservative rebels who would refuse to give him confidence.

“I know, because I have spoken to them, there is a substantial minority of Labour MPs at the very least who simply would not countenance Jeremy Corbyn being the prime minister of this country.

“So the question is, is there a figure who, as an alternative, could command a majority?”

[9 August 2019 09:32 · Adam Forrest]

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell is not impressed by Sajid Javid’s plan to have a “fast-tracked” one-year spending review to deliver on the government’s “priorities”.

[9 August 2019 09:39 · Adam Forrest]

Here’s Lib Dem MP Chuka Umunna – who has suggested a “substantial minority” of Labour MPs would not support their party leader becoming PM – claiming Jeremy Corbyn has already “flunked the opportunity to definitively table that motion of no confidence so that it in the end precipitates a general election”.

The Lib Dems had urged Corbyn to table the no confidence motion in July, shortly after Boris Johnson became PM.

[9 August 2019 09:47 · Adam Forrest]

Not good news for Sajid Javid. Not good news for anyone. The UK economy shrank by 0.2 per cent in the second quarter of this year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has announced. Our business editor Olesya Dmitracova has the details.

[9 August 2019 09:58 · Adam Forrest]

There’s a lot of feverish talk about what happens in October. But we still have to get through the September party conference season.

Ashley Cowburn has taken a look at what happens if MPs manage to cancel the traditional September recess in a bid to give themselves more parliamentary time to block no deal.