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Johnson ‘Not Attracted’ to Suspending Parliament: Brexit Update

Hammond also warned against courting a no-deal Brexit.

Johnson ‘Not Attracted’ to Suspending Parliament: Brexit Update
Boris Johnson, former U.K. foreign secretary, gestures as he delivers a speech during the launch of his campaign to become the next leader of the U.K. Conservative party in London, U.K. (Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson said he doesn’t want a no-deal Brexit but the country must prepare for one as a negotiating tactic. Dialing down his earlier rhetoric, the favorite to replace Theresa May said he wants a “sensible, orderly” divorce, but he vowed to leave the bloc on Oct. 31. Meanwhile an opposition bid to block a no-deal exit failed.

Five Takeaways From Boris Johnson’s Campaign Launch

Key Developments:

  • Johnson says the EU side will show “symmetrical enthusiasm” to negotiate; the EU says the deal can’t be reopened
  • Hammond says it’s “very difficult or impossible” to leave EU by Oct. 31 deadline
  • Labour fails in bid to seize control of parliamentary agenda to block a no-deal Brexit
  • EU says it’s ready for no-deal
  • Pound edges higher

Javid Finally Launches Campaign (5:20 p.m.)

Home Secretary Sajid Javid finally launched his leadership campaign (see 3:10 p.m.), pitching himself as the future face of the Conservative Party.

“A leader is not just for Christmas and not just for Brexit,” he said in his speech, adding that voters care about much more than leaving the European Union. In fact, Brexit didn’t feature prominently in his pitch, which was more focused on public services.

“Boris Johnson is yesterday’s news, he’s been around a long time,” Javid said. “It’s not just about the message, it’s about the messenger, too.”

When he did talk about Brexit, it was to say that a change of personnel is needed. “It will help to reset the relationship having different people negotiating” with the EU, he said, adding that he’s optimistic he can get a good Brexit deal that removes concerns about the backstop.

Grieve: No More Chances to Stop No-Deal (5:10 p.m)

Dominic Grieve, a Tory backbencher who supported the Labour motion against no-deal (see 4:44 p.m.), said he fears there will be no more chances to stop a chaotic Brexit in the parliamentary timetable before the Oct. 31 deadline.

Speaking after the vote, Grieve told reporters the only way to stop a prime minister determined to pursue a no-deal split would be to bring down the government. This “nuclear option” is “undesirable,” he said.

Grieve earlier told the Commons he would "not hesitate” to vote to bring down the government to stop a no-deal divorce, even if it means resigning from the party.

Johnson Opposed to Suspending Parliament (5:00 p.m.)

Boris Johnson told members of Parliament he wouldn’t want to suspend the House of Commons to push through a no-deal Brexit, according to a Tory at the hustings event on Wednesday.

Simon Clarke said Johnson told MPs he is “strongly not attracted” to the idea, which other candidates have suggested as a possibility in order to deliver Brexit without a deal.

However, Johnson vowed to leave the bloc without a deal if necessary, Clarke told reporters outside the meeting in Parliament.

Commons Rejects Move to Block No-Deal (4:44 p.m.)

The House of Commons voted by 309 votes to 298 to reject a motion to take control of the parliamentary agenda on June 25 to allow time to pass legislation blocking a no-deal divorce from the EU.

The motion, proposed by the Labour Party and backed by other opposition parties and some rebel Tory MPs, was opposed by the government.

Labour said the bill was necessary to stop a new prime minister from taking Britain out of the European Union without parliament’s consent when the latest EU deadline expires on Oct 31.

Johnson Hustings Interrupted by Vote (4:28 p.m.)

The Tory hustings were interrupted by the vote on Labour’s bid to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

Johnson and the other Conservatives left the room to take part in the vote. Keith Simpson, one of the MPs in the audience, said Johnson had given a summary of his launch speech earlier on Wednesday and seemed to have plenty of his supporters in the audience.


Johnson Makes His Pitch to Tory MPs (4:25 p.m)

After his public launch this morning, Johnson made his pitch in private to a meeting of Conservative MPs.

Journalists are banned from the meeting in Committee Room 14 in the House of Commons, but from the other side of the door, noisy banging on desks, applause and some laughter could be heard as Johnson spoke for five minutes.

He was then due to take questions from his colleagues before rival candidates including Esther McVey take the stage.

Javid Rules Out Election, Second Referendum (3:10 p.m.)

Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s leadership campaign launch has been delayed by the vote in Parliament (see 2:45 p.m.). At the venue in London, glossy leaflets set out his plans for delivering Brexit. He rules out both an early general election and a second referendum, and pledges to prepare fully for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit on Oct 31.

Javid also wants to “work directly with the Irish” and to pay the costs of new border technology to keep the post-Brexit border open, aiming to get a revised deal through Parliament by November, according to the leaflet.

Brexit Party ‘at Risk’ of Taking Illegal Donations (3 p.m.)

Following a May 21 visit to review Brexit Party fundraising, the Electoral Commission reported a “high and on-going risk” that it receives and accepts “impermissible donations,” the commission said in an emailed statement.

The commission said it made recommendations to the party on a fundraising structure that would “help it comply with its legal requirements.”

Cross-Party Bid a ‘Safety Valve,’ Starmer Says (2:45 p.m.)

Keir Starmer, Labour’s Brexit spokesman, said a cross-party bill introduced to the House of Commons would “introduce a safety valve” to stop Theresa May’s successor from pursuing a no-deal Brexit without Parliament’s consent.

It would “ensure Parliament cannot be locked out of the Brexit process over the coming weeks and months,” Starmer said. “We face the real challenge that the next prime minister will force through a no-deal Brexit without the consent of this house or the British people.”

Dominic Raab, a contender for the Tory leadership, has refused to rule out suspending Parliament to push through no-deal, while favorite Boris Johnson has committed to leaving on Oct. 31 with or without an agreement.

MPs are due to vote this afternoon on the bill, which would allow MPs -- rather than the government -- to control business in Parliament on June 25 and give them the opportunity to pass legislation blocking a no-deal divorce.

Davidson Warns Tories Over Brexit ‘Unicorns’ (1:45 p.m.)

Ruth Davidson, leader of the Conservative Party in Scotland, warned leadership candidates against “selling unicorns about how they can change the deal” with the European Union to get it through Parliament.

She also said it wouldn’t be in the national interest to dissolve or suspend Parliament to try to force through a no-deal Brexit, telling BBC radio she wants to see a deal agreed by lawmakers. Davidson, who backs Home Secretary Sajid Javid to succeed Theresa May, said Conservative members “deserve to see a good clean fight” when it comes down to a vote on the final two candidates.

Pressed on her views on the favorite Boris Johnson, Davidson said she wants to see change in his behavior. “I would want to see Boris the Prime Minister do things differently than Boris the Foreign Secretary or Boris the Candidate or leader of the Leave campaign,” she said, without elaborating further.

Johnson ‘Not Attracted’ to Suspending Parliament: Brexit Update

Government to Whip MPs Against Labour Brexit Motion (1 p.m.)

Conservative members of Parliament will be told to vote against the Labour-led attempt to take control of the House of Commons agenda to pass legislation to prevent a no-deal Brexit. A person familiar with the government’s position declined to comment on what would happen to Tory MPs who break the whip.

The proposed motion, which is backed by Conservative lawmaker Oliver Letwin alongside the three main opposition parties, aims to take control of the agenda on June 25 to allow legislation to be passed to stop a no-deal Brexit and block plans by some of the Tory leadership contenders to suspend Parliament to prevent lawmakers from getting in their way. A vote is expected on Wednesday.

A Labour spokesman told reporters said there are “other mechanisms” available to reach the same outcome if Wednesday’s effort fails, including a vote of no confidence in the government.

Hammond: ‘Very Difficult’ to Leave EU on Oct. 31 (12:30 p.m.)

Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond warned Boris Johnson that his Brexit plans would run into the same problems in the House of Commons and Brussels faced by Theresa May, adding that it would be “very difficult or impossible” to leave the EU on Oct. 31. Parliament is not going to change its mind on a no-deal Brexit, he said.

“The parliamentary arithmetic remains exactly the same, the European Union’s position remains exactly the same,” Hammond told the Bloomberg Sooner Than You Think conference in London. “Boris -- and any other candidate -- is perfectly entitled to say they need to test it themselves, but I can advise them the European Union is not likely to be willing to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement we’ve agreed with them.”

Hammond also warned against courting a no-deal Brexit. “I don’t think it would be in our national interest that we drive at this cliff edge at speed,” he said. Candidates should not make promises on spending and taxation while the risk is there, he said.

“So long as no-deal is a risk we need to retain that war chest to protect our economy from the initial shock of no-deal. There will be a lot of businesses and individuals who need support,” he said. Once the risk of a no-deal Brexit has gone, he said, “it would be safe to release some of that headroom.”

EU Says It’s Ready for ‘Undesirable’ No-Deal (12:25 p.m.)

Over in Brussels, the European Commission gave an update on its contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit. It’s broadly satisfied with the work that’s been done across the bloc’s 27 countries, but warned insurance companies they need to step up. The EU said it’s not planning any further no-deal steps and is ready for what it calls a “possible, although, undesirable, outcome.”

Johnson: There May Be Bumps in the Road (11:47 a.m.)

In a further softening of his tone on the prospect of a no-deal split, Johnson said he is sure he can deliver a “sensible, orderly Brexit” by Oct. 31. That’s very similar to the language Theresa May used.

“I’m not going to pretend to you now that everything will be plain sailing,” he said. “There will be difficulties and there may be bumps in the road.” But his team will “hit the ground running” and get the new deal the country needs from Brussels, he said.

As he left the stage, some journalists in the audience complained that he had only taken six questions. The emerging theme of a favorite contender who is reluctant to face media scrutiny is one that could be dangerous for Johnson during the weeks ahead. It was a criticism that was leveled at Theresa May during the 2017 election campaign, and it contributed to her failure to win a majority.

Johnson ‘Not Attracted’ to Suspending Parliament: Brexit Update

Johnson Says Britain Can Trust Him (11:30 a.m.)

Taking questions from the media after his speech, the Tory favorite brushed aside criticism of his record of gaffes as foreign secretary and insisted the country can trust him to be prime minister.

One reporter put it to Johnson that people who have worked closely with him do not think he is fit to lead the U.K. because of the inflammatory language he has used in the past.

“Of course occasionally some plaster comes off the ceiling as a result of some phrase that I have used,” Johnson said. But too often the public feel politicians are “not speaking as we find.”

If he has offended people, he is sorry. “Of course I am sorry for the offense that I have caused but I will continue to speak as directly as I can,” Johnson said.

Johnson: Not Aiming for No-Deal Brexit (11:15 a.m.)

In his speech, Johnson said he is not aiming to take the U.K. out of the EU with no deal. Instead he wants to get a better deal out of negotiations with Brussels. But he warned that failing to deliver on the 2016 referendum result has deepened the divisions within society over the issue. That’s why he wants to leave by the deadline of Oct. 31, he said.

Johnson has had to battle on in his speech despite a protester heckling noisily from outside the venue. The man continued to shout “stop Brexit” as Johnson spoke. He was clearly audible inside the room.

Closing his speech he said he could beat the left-wing socialist Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. “We can get Brexit done and we can win.”

Attorney General Cox Introduces Johnson Speech (11:10 a.m.)

We need a leader who can out-campaign Nigel Farage and Jeremy Corbyn “at any time and in any corner of our country,” Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said, as he introduced Johnson at his campaign launch.

Can Johnson Reach Beyond Tory Membership? (10:30 a.m.)

At his campaign launch, Johnson will inevitably be asked whether he can appeal beyond the Tory membership, who are effectively picking the U.K.’s next prime minister. It matters if the party finds itself calling a general election to try to alter the parliamentary arithmetic.

Johnson got a timely boost in a ComRes poll for the Daily Telegraph -- where he’s a columnist -- that showed voters more likely to vote Conservative if he were leader, even predicting a sizable majority in Parliament.
But according to academics Tim Bale of Queen Mary University of London and Paul Webb of the University of Sussex, Johnson’s Brexit stance appeals to the majority of 160,000 registered Conservative members, but only a minority of voters. While only about a quarter of the British public support leaving the EU without a deal, 85% of Johnson’s supporters within the party are keen on doing just that, according to the analysis on The Conversation blog.

Truss Forced to Defend Johnson (7:50 a.m.)

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss, who nominated Johnson for Conservative leader, was forced on the defensive in a series of broadcast interviews ahead of Johnson’s launch.

Asked about Johnson being sacked from a senior position by a former Tory leader after allegedly lying about an extra-marital affair, Truss told BBC radio: “I do not think the British public are interested in Boris’ personal life.” She also faced questions about Johnson’s record as foreign secretary and his character.

Earlier:

--With assistance from Ian Wishart and Zoe Schneeweiss.

To contact the reporters on this story: Tim Ross in London at tross54@bloomberg.net;Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net;Thomas Penny in London at tpenny@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Emma Ross-Thomas at erossthomas@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs

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