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Labour conference: Jeremy Corbyn brings speech forward to take Tom Watson's slot today in wake of explosive Supreme Court ruling

Deputy leader forced to cancel address to join MPs in parliament

Ashley Cowburn
Political Correspondent
Tuesday 24 September 2019 13:28 BST
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Jeremy Corbyn is to deliver his major Labour conference speech later today in light of the Supreme Court's explosive judgement.

The Labour leader decided to bring forward his address to party members in Brighton a day early after the court passed a unanimous verdict that Boris Johnson's suspension of parliament was unlawful.

Mr Corbyn's decision came as the House of Commons speaker, John Bercow, said the chamber will sit on Wednesday at 11.30, with "full scope for urgent questions, ministerial statements and applications for emergency debates".

Speaking outside parliament, Mr Bercow stressed that parliament was not being recalled, as the Supreme Court's ruling that the prime minister's prorogation was unlawful means that the suspension of sittings two weeks' ago is void.

Mr Corbyn will now deliver his speech to the Brighton conference at 4pm, and will return to London in time to attend parliament on Wednesday.

His office announced that deputy leader Tom Watson, who had been due to address conference this afternoon, would instead deliver his speech in Brighton on Wednesday.

But Mr Watson tweeted: “It’s right that Jeremy’s speech has been moved to this afternoon. I will be with all Labour colleagues in Parliament tomorrow. I’ll have to save the speech until the next conference.”

Labour sources confirmed that the conference will continue until its scheduled conclusion on Wednesday afternoon, as there is business which can be carried out in the absence of Mr Corbyn and MPs who have returned to Westminster.

Mr Corbyn spoke by phone with speaker John Bercow about plans for the re-convening of the Commons, but his office refused to disclose details of their conversation. It is understood that Labour MPs have been whipped to attend the Commons.

Speaking after the 11 justices handed down the decision, Mr Corbyn took to the stage at Labour's annual conference and demanded Mr Johnson "consider his position".

To huge cheers and chants of “Johnson out!”, the Labour leader said the prime minister should become the shortest-ever serving leader and that his party was ready to form a government.

“I invite Boris Johnson, in the historic words, to 'consider his position' and become the shortest prime minister there’s ever been,” he told delegates.

On the judges verdict, Mr Corbyn said: “It demonstrates a contempt for democracy and an abuse of democracy by him.”

“I will be in touch with [Speaker Bercow] immediately so that we demand parliament is recalled so we can question the prime minister and demand that he obeys the law that has been passed by parliament."

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