Boris Johnson today warned that the Tories will ‘kick the bucket’ unless they deliver Brexit by Halloween – as he finally emerged from his bunker.
Formally launching his leadership campaign, Mr Johnson vowed to stick to the October 31 deadline at all costs, saying ‘delay means Corbyn’.
At an event in Westminster packed with his MP backers – and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds – the former foreign secretary said he was the only candidate who could counter the threat from Labour and Nigel Farage’s surging Brexit Party.
Mr Johnson is the hot favourite to win the race to take over from Theresa May in Downing Street – despite rivals such as Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove accusing him of adopting a ‘submarine’ strategy of avoiding scrutiny.
He has promised to take questions from journalists at the launch this morning, something he has not done for months.
However, the scale of the challenge Mr Johnson faces if he does triumph will be underlined within hours of his appearance, when MPs stage a vote designed to kill off No Deal.
Speaker John Bercow has caused fury by bending parliamentary rules to allow a motion to be put down by Labour with cross-party support. It would seize control of Commons business from the government at the end of this month so a law can be passed banning the UK from crashing out of the EU without an agreement.
Boris Johnson (pictured arriving at his campaign launch today) has vowed to stick to the October 31 Brexit deadline, saying ‘delay means Corbyn’
Ten MPs are on the ballot as Tory MPs prepare to vote on who will be their next leader
Alongside Ms Symonds in the audience today were an array of senior Tories – including Cabinet ministers such as Geoffrey Cox, James Brokenshire and Liz Truss, as well as influential Eurosceptics Jacob Rees-Mogg and Steve Baker.
Mr Johnson was introduced by the booming voice of Mr Cox, who insisted it was time for a new approach to politics. He said Mr Johnson would ensure ‘full self-governance outside the EU’.
The move to wrest control of Parliamentary business from the Government has the backing of former Tory Cabinet minister Sir Oliver Letwin, as well as all the Liberal Democrats, SNP and Greens.
International Development Secretary Rory Stewart indicated he supported Parliament’s efforts to block No Deal, but later said he would not vote for it after being warned he could face the sack.
The move follows an extraordinary decision by Mr Bercow to allow Labour to table a Commons business motion, which would normally be the preserve of the Government.
Mr Johnson’s status as frontrunner was boosted today as a poll predicted he could win a majority of 140 seats in a general election.
The ComRes research for the Telegraph identified him as the only candidate capable of besting both Jeremy Cobryn on the left and Nigel Farage on the right.
Ahead of the first round of voting by MPs tomorrow, Mr Johnson has nearly double the number of public pledges of support from colleague as rivals Mr Gove and Mr Hunt.
Mr Johnson is expected to say today that any further delay beyond the current Article 50 deadline of Halloween would mean ‘defeat’ for the Tories at the next election.
He will say that Brexit will never be delivered if MPs give the ‘slightest hint that we want to go on kicking the can down the road’ adding in his campaign launch speech: ‘Delay means defeat.
‘Delay means Corbyn. Kick the can and we kick the bucket.’
Mr Johnson will say his preferred solution is to negotiate a new Brexit deal with the EU, but the central plank of his campaign is that Britain will leave the EU by October 31 with or without a deal – something his critics say is not possible to guarantee.
But the launch today promises to be turbulent as it is the first time Mr Johnson has faced sustained questioning from reporters for months.
There were claims today that business leaders are deeply worried about the prospect of him getting the keys to Downing Street, after he jibed ‘f*** business’ when asked about their Brexit concerns at a meeting last year.
Mrs May warned the Cabinet yesterday that Parliament would never allow her successor to take Britain out of the EU without a deal.
During a fractious meeting of her top team, the outgoing Prime Minister said: ‘There were as many people, if not more, on the Stop No Deal side as there were in the ERG [group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs] who would not support my deal. My successor is going to have the same problem.’
One senior Tory last accused Mr Bercow, who has spoken out against Brexit in the past, of ‘constitutional vandalism’.
But his decision means MPs will be asked to vote on a Commons motion today which would give pro-Remain MPs control of the parliamentary timetable on June 25. Labour said MPs would then ‘have the chance to introduce legislation that could help avoid the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal’.
The legislation is expected to focus on ruling out the option of suspending Parliament to push through No Deal, which has been floated by leadership contenders Dominic Raab and Esther McVey. But a Tory source involved in the move last night said further legislation would follow if any new PM tried to pursue a No Deal Brexit.
Former Cabinet minister Priti Patel was among the MP backers at Mr Johnson’s campaign launch today
Treasury chief secretary Liz Truss (left) and senior backbench Brexiteer Steve Baker were also at the launch today
Ex-defence secretary Gavin WIlliamson (pictured) has been coordinating Mr Johnson’s charm offensive in Parliament, and was at the launch today
Jeremy Hunt staged his own photocall with supporters in Westminster today as Mr Johnson held his launch
Tory grandee Oliver Letwin (l) and Labour shadow Brexit Secretary Kier Starmer are co-signatories of the motion which could deprive a future PM of the No Deal negotiating strategy
Commons Speaker John Bercow (pictured) has caused fury by allowing Labour to table a Commons business motion, which would normally be the preserve of the Government
The source said: ‘We will start by ruling out proroguing Parliament but at a bigger level it is showing that Parliament will block No Deal.
‘We are flexing our muscles to remind Boris and anyone else that they cannot do this.’
The initiative is modelled on the successful bid by Labour’s Yvette Cooper earlier this year to change the law and force Mrs May to seek an extension to Article 50 rather than leave without a deal.
That bid passed by just one vote. But a rebel source insisted there were ‘easily enough’ Conservative MPs to push it through this time.
Former Tory minister Nick Boles has said he will fly back from abroad to back the bid.
The move is also embarrassing for Mr Gove, who counts Sir Oliver among his leading supporters. Mr Gove last night described the proposals as ‘Labour’s plans’ and vowed to ‘resist them’.
He said: ‘While I would prefer to leave the EU with a better deal, we must not rule out No Deal. If ultimately it came to a choice between No Deal and no Brexit, I would choose No Deal.
‘Labour’s plans to seize control of the business of the Commons must be resisted.’
Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer described the Tory debate about No Deal as ‘disturbing, ludicrous and reckless’.
He added: ‘We have witnessed candidates openly advocating a damaging No Deal Brexit and even proposing dragging the Queen into politics by asking her to shut down Parliament to achieve this.’
The move came as ministers argued over Brexit at a meeting of the Cabinet.
Government Chief Whip Julian Smith warned that Parliament could ultimately prevent a No Deal exit and would use ‘all endeavours’ to do so.
Mr Barclay called for preparations to be stepped up for a potential No Deal Brexit in October, but was slapped down by Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, who said the cash would be better spent dealing with priorities like child poverty and education.