A countdown clock showing how many days there are until Brexit
Labour was accused of ‘selling Scotland down the river for power’ today after John McDonnell declared the party will not block a fresh independence referendum – in a naked pitch for a pact with the SNP.
The shadow chancellor has refused to back down despite facing a wave of anger over the huge concession, which is seemingly designed to pave the way for a deal with Nicola Sturgeon after a snap election.
The blatant offer came hours after the Scottish First Minister floated a ‘progressive alliance’ with Jeremy Corbyn to ‘lock the Tories out of government’ and block Brexit.
The intervention enraged Labour MPs, who accused Mr McDonnell of ‘betrayal’ by ‘appeasing nationalists’, and ‘dumping’ on the party’s existing policy.
Former Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said the remarks were ‘strikingly ignorant’, while others pointed out that he had adopted SNP propaganda by describing Westminster as the ‘English Parliament’.
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson pointed out that a ‘once in a generation’ referendum had been held in 2014, and the separatists lost.
‘Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell would happily sell Scotland down the river if they thought it could give them a sniff of power,’ she said.
Mr McDonnell doubled down on his stance today in an appearance at the Edinburgh Festival fringe. ‘I’ve reinforced the view that a referendum isn’t the solution to the problems in this country,’ he said.
‘But I don’t want to use parliamentary devices to block it.’
‘But I don’t want to use parliamentary devices to block it.’
Meanwhile, shadow Treasury minister Clive Lewis stoked the row by saying no-one could ‘blame’ the SNP for wanting a referendum given the ‘sh**show down here’.
The manoeuvring comes as the prospects of a snap election rise, with Boris Johnson’s majority dwindling to just one and Tory Remainer rebels threatening to join forces with Labour in a confidence vote next month.
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell (pictured right yesterday during an interview with journalist Iain Dale at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) said any decision about holding another vote to potentially break up the Union would be up to the Scottish Parliament
In an interview at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Mr McDonnell said: ‘It will be for the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish people to decide that. They will take a view about whether they want another referendum.
‘Nicola Sturgeon said by late next year or the beginning of 2021. We would not block something like that. We would let the Scottish people decide. That’s democracy.’
Mr McDonnell – who has previously said he wants Northern Ireland to leave the UK and reunite with the Republic – also risked inflaming the row by referring to the ‘English Parliament’, despite Westminster representing the whole UK.
‘The Scottish Parliament will come to a considered view on that and they will submit that to the Government and the English Parliament itself,’ he said.
‘If the Scottish people decide they want a referendum, that’s for them.’
Mr McDonnell’s words effectively overruled leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Richard Leonard.
In March, Mr Leonard told the BBC’s Sunday Politics Scotland show that if Labour took power in Westminster the party would refuse to grant another referendum.
He added: ‘What we said in the manifesto at the 2017 election was that there is no case for, and we would not support, a second independence referendum.’
Earlier this week, a poll found a majority of Scots backed independence for the first time in more than two years – 52 per cent to 48 per cent.
Critics of Mr Johnson claim he is so unpopular in Scotland that he could end up as the last prime minister of the Union.
A second vote on secession – the first was held in 2014 – would likely be a key condition of any Labour-SNP deal to put Mr Corbyn in No 10 if his party did not secure a majority.
Nicola Sturgeon has indicated she would be interested in some sort of ‘progressive alliance’ with Labour to ‘lock the Tories out of government’. But said Mr Corbyn (pictured together) would need to take ‘a very firm anti-Brexit position’ before any deal could be struck
Labour has always said it would not be interested in any coalition deals, and would instead try to survive as a minority government.
And Ms Sturgeon said Mr Corbyn would need to take ‘a very firm anti-Brexit position’ before any deal could be struck – something he has been reluctant to do.
The Conservatives made great play in the 2015 general election campaign of the dangers of a Labour government led by Ed Miliband propped up by the SNP, then led by Alex Salmond.
Labour MP for Edinburgh South Ian Murray attacked Mr McDonnell’s comments.
He said: ‘These are utterly irresponsible comments from John McDonnell that betray our party’s values.
‘The Labour Party is an internationalist party founded on a vision of solidarity and we should never seek to appease nationalists, whether they be for Brexit or Scottish independence, who want to divide communities and people.’
Mr Murray swiped that ‘every time a member of the Labour Party shadow cabinet crosses the border they seem to get confused about Scottish Labour policy on the constitution’.
‘The last time I looked at the unwritten constitution of the UK we didn’t have an English Parliament,’ he said.
Labour MP John Mann said Mr McDonnell had ‘dumped on’ the party’s Scottish wing.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said: ‘John McDonnell’s comments yesterday were met with complete dismay by Labour voters in Scotland.
‘Today it’s becoming clear why he said it. Labour is proposing a pact with the SNP in order to parachute Jeremy Corbyn into number 10.
‘The fact is this – Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell would happily sell Scotland down the river if they thought it could give them a sniff of power.’
Conservative chairman James Cleverly said a Sturgeon-Corbyn alliance would be a ‘nightmare prospect for Britain’.
Miss Sturgeon’s latest comments are likely to be seized upon by Mr Johnson as he prepares for a possible general election later this year.
Speaking to the Guardian, the Scottish First Minister condemned Mr Corbyn’s approach to Brexit since the 2016 EU referendum.
‘I have fought two general elections now as SNP leader and, in both of them, I have been pretty candid,’ she said. ‘We would always want to be part of a progressive alternative to a Tory government. That remains the case.’
Pressed on whether she would rule in a deal with Labour, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘In politics you’ve got to be careful. But it would not be my intention, to go into a formal coalition. I said that in 2015 and 2017 – that’s not a new thing. But some kind of progressive alliance that could lock the Tories out of government.’
She added: ‘It wouldn’t be a blank-cheque type scenario. We would want Jeremy Corbyn to take a very firm anti-Brexit position. We would look to do what was right for Scotland.’
Despite being open to the possibility of an electoral pact, the SNP leader said that she was ‘no great fan of Jeremy Corbyn’. She added: ‘I think his lack of leadership on Brexit in particular… well, if we do crash out without a deal, he will bear almost as much responsibility as Theresa May or Boris Johnson.’
A Labour spokesman said: ‘Labour will not countenance a coalition or pact with other parties.
‘We are campaigning to form a Labour government that will invest in communities and public services in all the regions and nations of the UK.’
Mr Cleverly said: ‘This Sturgeon-Corbyn alliance would be a nightmare prospect for Britain.
‘From refusing to respect the referendum result to huge tax hikes and measures that would wreck our economy, Labour and the SNP in cahoots would hammer working people across the country.’
Earlier this week, the first poll since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister (pictured with Miss Sturgeon) found that support for Scottish independence was ahead – by 52 per cent to 48 per cent
Nicola Sturgeon accuses Boris Johnson of ‘subconscious powerplay’ when he ‘ushered’ her into her official residence before their frosty first meeting
By David Wilcock, Whitehall Correspondent for MailOnline
Nicola Sturgeon lashed out at Boris Johnson today, accusing him of attempting a ‘subconscious powerplay’ at their first meeting after he became Prime Minister.
The Scottish First Minister said Mr Johnson made an ‘inappropriate’ move to usher her into Bute House when they sat down for talks last week.
The two leaders had a frosty face-to-face meeting at her official residence in Edinburgh, as Mr Johnson kicked off a Brexit row by defiantly telling her it was happening on October 31 whether she likes it or not.
Mr Johnson appeared to raise his arm behind Ms Sturgeon in a style she suggested was an attempt to usher her inside Bute House
But she is shown in the video from last week speaking to him, and he lowers his arm and goes inside ahead of her
He was booed by protesters on his way into Bute House before appearing to raise his arm behind Ms Sturgeon, who said something to him and waited for him to drop it before walking inside behind her guest.
‘I don’t think I said: ”Put your arm down”,’ she told the Guardian today.
‘Those kind of things happen in a flash. But I am aware that he was trying to do something that some people would describe as chivalrous and other people would say was a subconscious powerplay. I was kind of aware of him trying to usher me in.
‘And I think, in the instant, I thought: ”That’s inappropriate – you go in first.” But these things happen in a nanosecond. It wasn’t at all deliberate on my part.’
Mr Johnson’s hardline Brexit approach last Monday sparked a furious response, with the First Minister accusing him of secretly wanting a No Deal Brexit instead of a deal with Brussels.
The less-than warm reception came after the premier promised to renew ‘the ties that bind our United Kingdom’ and unveiled plans to release £300million for ‘growth deals’.
Downing Street also suggested he dismissed her demand for a second Scottish independence referendum.
After the talks, a Number 10 spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister said he was a passionate believer in the power of the Union and he would work tirelessly to strengthen the United Kingdom and improve the lives of people right across Scotland.
‘On Brexit, (he) said that while the government’s preference is to negotiate a new deal which abolishes the anti-democratic backstop, the UK will be leaving the EU on October 31st come what may.’
Mrs Sturgeon hit back by accusing Mr Johnson of wanting a No Deal Brexit and said his Government was ‘dangerous’ .
‘He says publicly – and he said it to me again today – that he wants a deal with the EU, but there is no clarity whatsoever about how he thinks he can get from the position now where he’s taking a very hard line – the Withdrawal Agreement is dead, the backstop is dead,’ she said.
‘If I listen to all of that and listen to what’s not being said as well as what is being said, I think that this is a Government that is pursuing a no-deal strategy, however much they may deny that in public.’
Ms Sturgeon said she ‘abhors’ what Mr Johnson is doing, adding: ‘So I don’t think it will be surprising to anyone to hear me say that I wasn’t absolutely thrilled to be welcoming Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.’
The two leaders has a frosty meeting at Bute House, in which they clashed over the Prime minister’s Brexit strategy
Last night Nicola Sturgeon gloated over a shock poll showing Scots would vote for independence amid Boris Johnson’s hardline Brexit stance.
The SNP leader said the case for breaking up the UK was ‘stronger every day’ after the research found 52 per cent would support the move.
It is the first time in more than two years that a survey has shown a majority in favour of independence.
The result will fuel fears that Mr Johnson’s ‘do or die’ pledge to deliver Brexit by the end of October could put the union at risk.
The Tory leader north of the border, Ruth Davidson, has also been highly critical of his willingness to force No Deal if necessary.
The poll by Conservative Lord Ashcroft found independence had a lead of 52 per cent to 48 per cent among Scots, excluding those who said they did not know or would not vote
In the poll conducted by Lord Ashcroft, Scots were asked whether they wanted a referendum and how they would vote.
The research found 47 per cent believed a new national vote should be held, against 45 per cent who said no.
Some 46 per cent of the 1,019 people quizzed said they would vote to break up the UK in a referendum, while 43 per cent were against.
Excluding those who said they did not know or would not vote gave a lead of 52 per cent to 48 per cent for independence.
It is the first time nationalists have been ahead in a major poll since March 2019.
Queen must SACK Boris Johnson if he clings on after losing Commons confidence vote on No Deal, Remainers warn amid claims the PM could delay election by a MONTH past Brexit date
Remainers today warned the Queen will have to sack Boris Johnson if he refuses to quit after losing a Commons confidence vote over No Deal Brexit.
Allies of the PM have made clear he will simply refuse to resign if rebel Tories join forces with Labour, the SNP, the Lib Dems and independents to pass a no confidence motion.
Instead of going quietly, Mr Johnson would wait for an election to be triggered and use his executive powers to set the date of an election for after the Brexit date of October 31, so MPs cannot stop the process.
Pro-EU MPs admitted that a legal loophole could allow Mr Johnson to postpone the election date by at least a month – potentially pushing it to late November.
But one senior source told MailOnline the monarch would have to intervene before then if Mr Johnson was playing ‘childish games’ with the constitution.
‘We have an unwritten constitution but there are well established conventions,’ the MP said. ‘Convention number one is that a PM does not or cannot hold office without the consent of the House of Commons.’
If Mr Johnson tried to ‘bury himself’ in Downing Street and tried to stop a new government taking over, the monarch would step in despite the risks of getting embroiled in politics, the Remainer source said.
‘The Queen would write him a letter saying he is dismissed,’ they insisted. ‘She would have to sack him. Of course she would.’
Former Supreme Court Judge Lord Sumption told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the PM did have ‘discretion’ on setting election dates.
‘It is not an unlimited discretion, but I cannot see how the courts could say the PM was not entitled to take political risks into consideration,’ he said.
Allies say Boris Johnson (pictured left with Estonian PM Juri Ratas at No10 today) would refuse to quit No 10 if he lost a confidence vote in the Commons and will instead force through a No Deal Brexit, it has emerged
The Queen (left) could have to become involved if Mr Johnson refused to accept a No Confidence vote. Dominic Cummings (pictured right at No10 yesterday) is said to have ‘laughed’ at the suggestion Mr Johnson would be forced to quit
Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, the PM has significant discretion on the election date even if they have failed to secure the confidence of the Commons
Labour is already plotting to join forces with Tory rebels to try to collapse the Government and replace Mr Johnson as Prime Minister if he pursues a No Deal departure from the European Union on October 31.
But allies say Mr Johnson would stay in office even if he lost a confidence vote – and trigger a general election to take place after the Brexit date so the UK would leave the EU automatically during the campaign.
Constitutional experts said Mr Johnson is not legally compelled to leave No 10 even if the Commons passes a no confidence motion.
However, if he did refuse to follow ‘constitutional precedent’ it would spark a crisis that could drag the Queen into Brexit politics.
Details of Downing Street’s approach emerged from comments made by his senior aide, Dominic Cummings, who is said to have ‘laughed’ at the idea that his boss would walk away in response to a confidence vote.
Yesterday the PM’s spokesman said the UK will leave the EU on October 31 by ‘any means necessary’.
But aides are braced for rebel Tory MPs, led by former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, to try ‘every trick in the book’ to stop No Deal when they return in September.
The nuclear option is to order a confidence vote under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act.
Last night Mr Corbyn gave his clearest signal yet he would make this move in September, saying the motion would be tabled at an ‘appropriate very early time’.
Mr Grieve is said to believe that if he can win the vote, Mr Johnson would be forced to leave office. MPs could then install a prime minister who would extend Article 50, preventing No Deal. However, when this proposition was put to Mr Cummings – the mastermind behind the Vote Leave campaign – he is said to have laughed.
‘Someone put Grieve’s idea to Cummings that if we lose a vote of no confidence the PM will have to resign. He spat out his drink laughing,’ a senior No 10 official told the Financial Times.
Catherine Haddon, a senior fellow at the Institute For Government think-tank, said Mr Grieve’s plan relied on Mr Johnson resigning if he lost a no confidence vote. She added: ‘But it isn’t a legally binding requirement of the Act that he step down.
‘If Parliament passed a motion saying we have no confidence in the Prime Minister and we wish a government to be formed under whoever, that would put the Queen under enormous pressure to say, ‘I think you should resign because the Commons has confidence in another individual.’ But the Queen wants to stay out of politics, so she wouldn’t want to do that.’
Downing Street said Mr Johnson (pictured at No10 today) would take the UK out of the EU by the end of October in ‘all circumstances’
Asked about the issue, a senior Downing Street source said: ‘This Government will use any means necessary to deliver Brexit on October 31.’
Speaking on a visit to Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire, which is set to benefit from the £1.8billion NHS funding boost, Mr Johnson was asked if he was preparing to fight an election.
He said: ‘The answer is no. The people of the UK voted in the election in 2015, they had a referendum in 2016 and another election in 2017. They want us to deliver what they asked for – and that is for us to leave the EU. The last thing I want to do is call another election.’