Boris Johnson news: Corbyn launches bid to stop PM shutting down parliament, amid widespread fury at plan
Follow how the backlash to PM’s decision to suspend parliament unfolded throughout the day
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK
Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight
Jeremy Corbyn has said he will launch a bid to “politically stop” Boris Johnson proroguing parliament next week, before filing for a vote of no confidence in the prime minister “at the appropriate moment”.
A cross-party coalition of opposition MPs and Tory rebels are set to take action upon their return to Westminister on Tuesday, after Mr Johnson provoked outrage with plans for a five-week shutdown that raises the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit.
The government has dismissed anger as “phoney”, but it has been hit by the resignations of its whip in the House of Lords and Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson.
Good morning and welcome to The Independent's live political coverage as Westminster wakes up to the fallout of Boris Johnson's decision to prorogue parliament for five weeks.
More than one million people have signed a petition objecting to the prime minister's decision amid growing anger what opponents have described as a "constitutional outrage".
Thousands of people rallied for hours in Westminster on Wednesday night, and there were smaller demonstrations in other towns and cities.
Johnson insists he wants to prorogue parliament in order to bring the current record-breaking session to a close in order to bring forward his new legislative agenda, with the government branding anger over the decision "phoney".
But opposition leaders said the prime minister is trying to halt their efforts to block a no-deal Brexit.
The petitioners say parliament "must not be prorogued or dissolved unless and until the Article 50 period has been sufficiently extended or the UK's intention to withdraw from the EU has been cancelled".
Legal challenges against Johnson's decision are also being mounted, with separate bids launched in London and Edinburgh courts seeking an emergency injunction to prevent parliament being suspended.
Here's a wrap of yesterday's dramatic events from our political editor, Andrew Woodcock:
Labour's shadow international trade secretary has admitted it will be "extremely difficult" to stop a no-deal Brexit after Boris Johnson announced the suspension of parliament for more than a month.
Barry Gardiner said opposition parties would press on next week with a bid to prevent the UK crashing out of EU, but warned the "constrained timetable" may mean there is insufficient time before the 31 October leave date.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today this morning, he said also said the government was "lying" about its reason for proroguing parliament.
He said: "It is going to be extremely difficult. That's why the government is disingenuous to say this is not about trying to stop us doing that.
"We will be seeking measures on Monday to try and have what is known as a Standing Order section 24 debate. We will seek to try and put through the appropriate legislation in this constrained timetable that the government has now put before us.
"Downing Street is lying when it claims this is about the conference recess. If he wanted to get on with his domestic agenda, he would in fact be having a shorter period of prorogation."
The leader of the House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, has dismissed outrage over the prime minister's decision to prorogue parliament as "phoney"
The Brexiteer Tory, who sits in Boris Johnson's cabinet, insisted the longest suspension of proceedings in Commons since 1945 was "completely constitutional and proper".
He also criticised the intervention of Commons speaker John Bercow, who yesterday called the prime minister's move a “constitutional outrage”.
Mr Rees-Mogg told the BBC: "It is not constitutional for the Speaker to express his opinion without the direction of the house.
"He has had no such direction and therefore his comments were in a private capacity. They can't be as Mr Speaker."
He added: "I think the outrage is phoney and it is created by people who don't want us to leave the European Union and are trying very hard to overturn the referendum result and don't want the benefits of leaving the European Union.
"Parliament wasn't going to be sitting for most of this time anyway. This is completely constitutional and proper."
The Queen did not question the government's request to suspend parliament for over a month, Jacob Rees-Mogg has said.
"The queen, her majesty, had no discretion over this," he told the BBC. "There is no precedent for the queen refusing a request by her prime minister under these circumstances."
The Commons leader denied suggestions that moving to suspend parliament had put the monarch, who by convention avoids any involvement in politics, in an awkward position.
More than 1.25 million people have now signed a petition urging Boris Johnson not to prorogue parliament.
The petition quickly reached 100,000 signatures following Wednesday's announcement, meaning it will be considered for debate by MPs.
The petition, which was created by Mark Johnston on parliament’s website, states: "Parliament must not be prorogued or dissolved unless and until the Article 50 period has been sufficiently extended or the UK's intention to withdraw from the EU has been cancelled."
Here's the full story on Jacob Rees-Moggdismissing anger over the suspension of parliament as "a candyfloss of outrage", by my colleague Lizzy Buchan:
Nearly half of the British public believe it is not acceptable for Boris Johnson to prorogue parliament, compared to 27% who say it is, according to a YouGov poll.
Only half of Leave voters surveyed believed it was the suspension was acceptable, with a quarter saying it was not.
Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of Remainers feel the move is unacceptable. Here's how those results break down:
Conservative backbencher Ken Clarke has accused Boris Johnson of behaving like a "petty dictator", saying the prime minister had caved in to the "the fanatic element of his followers".
The long-serving MP predicted Johnson's "absolutely outrageous" decision to suspend parliament would "bring together the slightly divided majority in the House of Commons" and could raise the likelihood of a soft Brexit or second referendum.
He said: "I hope it will bring together the sensible majority of parliament who will find some alternative.
"The key thing is to decide are we leaving in a sensible way that doesn't do damage to our economy, or are we actually going to have a referendum and decide whether to leave at all."
The coming weeks in Westminster promise to be chaotic, even compared to the tumultuous new normality of British politics since 2016. Ewan Somerville has taken a look at what happens next and the key dates to look out for between now and 31 October:
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies