Boris Johnson’s bid for snap election is CRUSHED

Jeremy Corbyn denied voters the chance to decide the future of Brexit last night after ordering his MPs to block Boris Johnson’s call for a snap election.

A visibly frustrated PM ridiculed the stance taken by Corbyn – who did not even bother to be present for the declaration of the result – taunting that he was the first Opposition leader ‘in history’ to turn down the opportunity of a poll.

But crucially, Mr Johnson did not give a clear indication of how he might now try to extricate himself from the impasse – merely hinting that he might try staging another vote in the coming days. 

The premier appeared to have few other cards left to play.

Yesterday’s vote leaves Mr Johnson in potential purgatory with just a few days to find a solution before Parliament is suspended next week.

Last night aides were frantically casting round for an alternative way to either force an election or kill off the rebel legislation.

One insider said: ‘We underestimated the rebels. We thought there would be some loopholes in the legislation we could wriggle through, but it is much better drafted than we had expected.’

Another acknowledged that even securing an election would be a ‘massive gamble’, saying: ‘Nobody knows how it will pan out.’

Meanwhile, Remainers last night succeeded in pushing legislation through the Commons that ruled out No Deal at the end of October – something Mr Johnson said was essential to his Brexit strategy.  

The PM needed to get the agreement of two thirds of the House for an early election, but fell far short of the mark with Mr Corbyn ordering his troops to abstain. Just 298 MPs backed a poll, compared to the 434 required.

The result and the legislation looks to have left Mr Johnson facing disaster, as he is unable to honour his ‘do or die’ vow of leaving the EU by Halloween, and unable to call an election to get a fresh mandate. 

His only hope appears to be an extraordinary civil war erupting on Labour’s front bench about whether it should support a poll next week, after the law against No Deal has been finalised and put on the statute book.

A weary-looking Mr Johnson tried to put a brave face on the dire situation after the vote was declared in the House. ‘I note that the leader of the opposition is once again not in his place in what I think is a slightly symbolic way,’ he said. 

‘Forty eight hours ago he was leading the chants of ”stop the coup, let the people vote”, now he is saying ”stop the election and stop the people from voting”.

‘I think he has become the first Leader of the Opposition in the democratic history of our country to refuse the invitation to an election.

‘I can only speculate as to the reasons behind his hesitation, the obvious conclusion is, I’m afraid, that he does not think he will win.

‘I urge his colleagues to reflect on the unsustainability of this position overnight and in the course of the next few days.’

Mr Corbyn suggested last night that Labour would be happy to trigger an election after the rebel law receives Royal Assent and goes on the statute book, expected to be this weekend. That would just about give time for Parliament to be dissolved for an October 15 vote.

‘Let this bill pass and gain royal assent then we will back an election so we do not crash out with a no-deal exit from the EU,’ Mr Corbyn said. 

But shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer told MPs an extension would need to be agreed with the EU before a poll is called. He said Labour would ‘ensure that we do not leave the EU with No Deal’, adding: ‘That requires the passing and implementation of this act.’  

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry has also said she believes the election should not be called for ‘a few weeks’.   

Earlier, the rebel legislation made it through a third reading, its final Commons stage, by 329 to 300. 

Meanwhile, former chancellor Ken Clarke, who was expelled from the Tories for rebelling, delivered an astonishing tirade at ‘disingenuous’ Mr Johnson in the Commons demanding that he stop ‘playing games’ on Brexit. 

A Remainer alliance had taken control of the Commons and started pushing through a law despite his warning that it ‘wrecks’ his negotiating position.

MPs backed the rebel Bill by a margin of 327 to 299 at third reading this evening. It orders him to beg the EU for a Brexit delay until January if a deal has not been agreed by October 19. It will now go to the Lords, where rebels expect a rougher ride.

Mr Johnson insisted passing the law had ‘ended the negotiations’ with Brussels. He repeated his his mantra that he will never ask Brussels for an extension, and would rather go to the country on October 15.   

‘The country must now decide whether the Leader of the Opposition or I go to those negotiations in Brussels on the October 17 to sort this out,’ he said.

‘Because everybody will know that if [Mr Corbyn] were to go there, were to be the prime minister, he would beg for an extension, he would accept whatever Brussels demands and we would then have years more dither and delay.

‘He has demanded an election for two years while blocking Brexit… is he now going to say that the public cannot be allowed an election to decide which of us sorts out this mess?’ 

However, Mr Johnson’s continuing tough talk could not disguise his increasingly grim plight

The legislation would require the PM to seek a three month extension from the EU if no deal has been agreed by October 19. He would have to accept immediately if those terms were granted by the bloc, and accept within two days if they set other conditions.

The premier could only refuse an extension if there was a vote in the Commons authorising him to do so. 

Introducing the Bill, Mr Benn told the Commons that passing it was not enough. ‘It needs to be given effect,’ he said. ‘In other words, we must in my opinion secure that extension to Article 50, otherwise there is a risk that the election would result in us leaving without a deal.’ 

Meanwhile, former chancellor Philip Hammond and veteran Sir Nicholas Soames – who were both expelled from the Conservative Party for joining the No Deal rebellion – spoke in support of the measure.

Mr Hammond lashed out at Mr Johnson’s ‘mass purge’ of moderate MPs, and dismissed the PM’s claim he was helping Mr Corbyn, saying he would rather ‘boil my head’ than assist the hard-left Labour leader.

Earlier, Mr Johnson blasted Mr Corbyn for ‘dithering’ and plotting a ‘surrender’ to the EU.

Taking his first PMQs, he branded Mr Corbyn a ‘chlorinated chicken’ for refusing to agree to a poll on October 15 and said he ‘used to be a democrat’. 

Channelling Margaret Thatcher’s famous taunt to opponents, Mr Johnson said: ‘Is he frit?’ 

At one point the premier also turned the air blue in the chamber by claiming the Opposition’s economic strategy was ‘sh** or bust’. 

Meanwhile, the Labour leader was jeered by Tory MPs as he accused the PM of trying to ‘avoid scrutiny’. 

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said his party also wanted anti-No Deal legislation passed before an election. But Nicola Sturgeon swiped that she did not believe Mr Corbyn ‘wants an election at all’.    

• Tory sources said the PM’s controversial aide Dominic Cummings told former cabinet minister Greg Clark he would be ‘purged’ if he voted to undermine the Government’s Brexit strategy
• Donald Trump backed Mr Johnson to emerge victorious from the crisis, saying: ‘He’s in there fighting. He knows how to win’
• Former deputy PM Damian Green led calls for Mr Johnson to reinstate 21 Tory rebels
• Mr Johnson told colleagues not to blame Mr Cummings for his hardline approach on Brexit, saying the adviser was ‘me in a latex mask’
• Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said the impact of a No Deal Brexit would be less serious than feared
• Diplomatic sources in the EU said talks with the UK were ‘completely pointless’ because Mr Johnson was unable to get any deal through Parliament
• Whitehall sources admitted John Bercow could now block a second vote on a general election next week

The premier gathered his Cabinet in Downing Street this morning as they frantically try to plot a way through the burgeoning crisis. 

The devastating chain of events began when Mr Johnson lost a crunch vote at around 10pm on Tuesday night, which gave the rebel alliance control of Commons business with the aim of passing the law. 

Some 21 Tory MPs – including eight former Cabinet ministers – defied threats of deselection to side with the Opposition over Brexit.

The politicians, including veteran Mr Clarke and Winston Churchill’s grandson Sir Nicholas Soames, have now been brutally axed from the Conservatives, effectively ending their careers. 

But the tough move means Mr Johnson’s numbers in the Commons are disastrously low, far short of an overall majority and completely unsustainable.

At a combative PMQs session, Mr Johnson said he own strategy was to get a Brexit deal by the EU summit on October 17.

He added: ‘What his surrender bill would do is wreck any chance of the talks and we don’t know his strategy at all.

‘He’s asking for mobs and Momentum activists to paralyse the traffic in his name.

‘What are they supposed to chant? What is the slogan? ”What do we want? Dither and delay. When do want it? We don’t know.”

‘That’s his policy. Can he confirm now that he will allow the people of this country to decide on what he is giving up in their name with a general election on October 15 – or is he frit?’

The PM listed his plans for police, the NHS and the economy before highlighting comments by shadow education secretary Angela Rayner.

Mr Johnson said: ‘The shadow education secretary says that their economic policy is, I quote Mr Speaker by your leave, ‘sh** or bust’.

‘I say it’s both, Mr Speaker.’

Mr Johnson had faced an uphill battle to get his plan for a general election through the Commons last night, as the law dictates that two-thirds of MPs must agree to hold an early election.  

Mr Corbyn shouted at Mr Johnson across the despatch box: ‘He wants to table a motion for a general election, fine. Get the bill through first in order to take No Deal off the table.’ 

And shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer said during a round of interviews: ‘We are not voting for a general election today. 

‘We are not dancing to Boris Johnson’s tune. If Johnson says the election will be on 15 October no one trusts him.’

Business minister Kwasi Kwarteng said Mr Corbyn was ‘perverse’ and ‘frightened’.

‘What is very clear to me is the leader of the opposition has said consistently that he wants a general election and it is perverse of him to say now that he doesn’t want one, and it appears to me he is rather frightened of a general election,’ he told Today. 

‘We have had three years of this debate and we have gone round and round, and it may well be that a general election is the best way forward and the only way to solve the impasse.’ 

The staggering blow on Tuesday night came in the first vote of Mr Johnson’s premiership. ‘Not a good start, Boris!’ shouted one Labour MP as the result came in. 

And the punishment that follow for rebels was described by one government source as a ‘Remainer bloodbath’.   

Former International Development Secretary Rory Stewart called the decision to throw him out of the party ‘astonishing’ and said it was something ‘you associate with other countries’ rather than Britain. 

He received the news of his sacking as he was being given the GQ award for politician of the year. 

‘It came by text,’ the Penrith and the Border MP told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. ‘It was a pretty astonishing moment. Remember, only a few weeks ago I was running for the leadership of the Conservative Party against Boris Johnson and I was in the Cabinet. And it has all gone very quickly in six weeks. 

‘It feels a little bit like something you associate with other countries – one opposes the leader, one loses the leadership race, no longer in the cabinet and now apparently thrown out of the party and one’s seat too.’ 

Mr Stewart said there were ’30 or 40′ other Tories who had been wanting to block No Deal but were cowed into backing the PM by the deselection threats.  

Yesterday’s victory for pro-EU MPs came despite Mr Johnson threatening to end the careers of Tories who joined the revolt by deselecting them.  

The scale of the Tory rebellion was larger than many had expected at Westminster, with the ‘aggressive’ government tactics failing to whittle down numbers.

The combative attitude of Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg during the debate on the business motion seemed to infuriate many who were wavering.

Former minister Guto Bebb said he believed Mr Rees-Mogg cost the government at least four votes.

‘There were at least four individuals who were still doubtful who changed their position to being supportive and voting with us on the back of Jacob’s performance,’ he told Sky News. ‘He was deemed to be arrogant, out of touch and I think the way in which he treated some of the interventions was a red rag to bull in many cases.’ 

The roll call of rebels included ex-Chancellor Mr Hammond, who has already vowed to fight efforts to deselect him, as well as former ministers Justine Greening and Alistair Burt – who both pre-empted their punishments earlier by announcing they would be standing down at the election.

Other Cabinet veterans were Sir Oliver Letwin, Dominic Grieve, Mr Clarke, Greg Clark, Rory Stewart, and Caroline Nokes. Sir Nicholas Soames, grandson of Winston Churchill, also rebelled. 

A Downing Street spokesman said on not long after the vote: ‘The Chief Whip is speaking with those Tory MPs who did not vote with the Government this evening. They will have the whip removed.’ 

A rebel source said No10 was ‘removing the whip from two former chancellors, a former lord chancellor and Winston Churchill’s grandson’. 

‘What has has happened to the Conservative Party?’ they added. 

After the result was declared in a hushed Commons chamber, a clearly angry PM rose to his feet to condemn the decision.

‘Let there be no doubt about the consequences of this vote tonight,’ he said. 

‘It means that parliament is on the brink of wrecking any deal we might be able to strike in Brussels.

‘Because tomorrow’s Bill would hand control of the negotiations to the EU. And that would mean more dither, more delay, more confusion.

‘And it would mean that the EU themselves would be able decide how long to keep this country In the EU.

And since I refuse to go along with that plan, we are going to have to make a choice. 

‘I don’t want an election. The public don’t want an election. But if the House votes for this Bill tomorrow, the public will have to choose who goes to Brussels on Oct 17 to sort this out and take this country forward.’ 

Mr Corbyn said: ‘He wants to table a motion for a general election, fine.

‘Get the Bill through first in order to take no deal off the table.’

Dame Margaret Hodge and his shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry appeared to back his position.

Dame Margaret said: ‘I will not be supporting a snap general election because it is nothing more than a trap set by the most untrustworthy PM in living memory.

‘This is just part of Johnson’s ploy to get a No Deal Brexit over the line regardless of the disastrous consequences. We must reject it.’ 

Emily Thornberry then added: ‘There’s not going to be a general election tomorrow, because we’re not going to vote for it.’

But Labour backbencher John Mann was outraged, tweeting: ‘Oh these clever people. Let’s spit on the working class and a majority of the electorate. Stop Brexit. 

‘Then ask them to vote us into power. We are dealing with people who don’t respect the views of the people.’ 

Earlier, sources close to shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer said the party was looking at ‘mechanisms’ that could bind the PM to a specific election date. 

During another day of high drama in Westminster, former minister Phillip Lee crossed the floor in the Commons and joined the Lib Dems. 

As the PM was struggling to defend his Brexit stance in the chamber, Dr Lee walked away from his colleagues and went to sit with Jo Swinson’s pro-EU party. 

Kicking off the debate in Parliament yesterday, former Cabinet minister Sir Oliver Letwin insisted that the ‘threat’ of No Deal was not a ‘credible negotiating strategy’. 

He said it was ‘decision time’ for MPs and they had to take their ‘last chance’ to stop the UK from crashing out.

‘Over the last six weeks the Government has not produced a single indication of any viable proposal to replace the backstop by any alternative likely to prove acceptable to the EU,’ Sir Oliver said.

‘The likelihood of the Government reaching a deal at the council meeting on October 17 and 18 on the terms the Government itself has set is accordingly slight.’

He warned this was the last week Parliament will have to block a no-deal exit on October 31, noting: ‘It’s decision time.

‘If MPs across the House want to prevent a no-deal exit on October 31 they will have the opportunity to do so if, but only if, they vote for this motion this evening.’ 

But Mr Rees-Mogg barely bothered to disguise his anger as he took to the despatch box, saying the business motion was a ‘subversion of democracy’. 

He also swiped viciously at the Speaker for bending procedures to permit the move.

Mr Bercow was applauded by the House as he boasted about bending Commons rules to trigger a crunch vote. 

Amid fury from Eurosceptics, he insisted he would keep ‘facilitating the House of Commons’. 

In a reference to Mr Johnson’s solemn ‘do or die’ pledge to secure Brexit by Halloween, he said: 

‘I’ve done it, I am doing it, I will continue to do it to the best of my ability without fear or favour – to coin a phrase, come what may, do or die.’  

Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd yesterday warned against taking action against ‘very valued colleagues who made a very different choice’.

‘We should consider carefully the consequences of dividing the party. But I do support the PM in his commitment… to get a deal,’ she told reporters outside her London home.

To take effect the anti-No Deal legislation must clear all its Parliamentary stages and receive Royal Assent before the Houses prorogue for the party conference break – which is due to happen as early as next Monday. 

In his appearance in yesterday afternoon, Mr Johnson conceded for the first time that he would be obliged to obey the law if it is passed.

‘We will of course uphold the constitution and obey the law,’ he said. 

The primary aim of the so-called European Union (Withdrawal) (No.6) Bill 2019 is to stop the UK leaving the EU without a deal on October 31. 

But it goes much further and demands the PM ask the EU for a Brexit delay to January 31 2020 in the event Britain and Brussels are unable to agree a new deal at an EU Council meeting on October 17.

The Bill states that if the EU does agree to the request for an extension the PM must immediately accept the offer. 

If the EU propose a different extension date the PM must accept it within two days – unless it is rejected by the House of Commons. 

The Bill does say that the UK can leave the bloc without a deal but only if MPs explicitly vote in favour of such an outcome.