Rory Stewart threatens to hold a rebel PARLIAMENT and bring down Boris if the Tory front-runner becomes PM and shuts down the Commons to try to force through a No Deal Brexit
- The former foreign secretary topped the first Tory leadership ballot with 114 MPs
- He has yet to rule out proroguing Parliament to force through a No Deal Brexit
- It would allow him to sidestep MPs who are opposed to leaving without a deal
- Mr Stewart called it an ‘unconstitutional, improper, really disturbing suggestion’
Tory leadership candidate Rory Stewart sensationally threatened today to set up a rogue Parliament to thwart Boris Johnson if he becomes prime minister and tries to force through a No Deal Brexit.
The centrist Remainer outsider said MPs would oppose Mr Johnson and ‘bring him down’ if he attempted to side-step attempts to block leaving without a deal.
Mr Stewart made the astonishing remarks to Sky News minutes after former foreign secretary romped away from the rest of the first in the first round of the ballot.
Mr Johnson has so far not ruled out proroguing Parliament – ending the current session – to prevent MPs from trying to block a No Deal Brexit or topple his government if elected Conservative leader.
After surprising Westminster and making it to the second round the International Development Secretary said: ‘That is an unconstitutional, improper, really disturbing suggestion – that you try to get something through by locking the doors of Parliament.
‘Answer us. I’ve been asking Boris for a week. Tell people because we want to know what kind of leader or prime minister you would want to be.
‘But he won’t be able to. I guarantee if he were to try, I, and every other MP will sit across the road in Methodist Central Hall and we will hold our own session of Parliament and we will bring him down.
‘Because you do not, ever, lock the doors on Parliament in this country, or indeed in any country with any respect in the world.’
Mr Stewart told Sky if Boris Johnson prorogued Parliament ‘I, and every other MP will sit across the road in Methodist Central Hall and we will hold our own session’
The former foreign secretary topped the secret ballot with backing from 114 MPs – ahead of Jeremy Hunt in second with 43
Mr Johnson took a massive towards Downing Street today as he stormed home in the opening round of the Tory leadership battle.
The former foreign secretary topped the secret ballot with backing from 114 MPs – ahead of Jeremy Hunt in second with 43.
The higher-than-expected score for Mr Johnson – which drew gasps in the Committee Room 14 when it was announced – means he is almost guaranteed to make the final run-off among Tory members.
Bookmakers immediately slashed the odds on Mr Johnson being the next PM from 4/9 to 1/5 after today’s announcement read out by Dame Caroline Spelman
Bookmakers immediately slashed the odds on Mr Johnson being the next PM from 4/9 to 1/5.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove was third on 37, after his campaign was badly damaged by his cocaine admission over the weekend. Former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab received 26 votes, Sajid Javid 23 and Matt Hancock 20.
And Mr Stewart just squeezed over the threshold of 17 votes needed from the total of 313 to continue to the next round, with 19.
He also drew a comparison with Charles I’s actions which precipitated the English Civil War in the 17th century, saying: ‘Somebody who tried to subvert our constitution, our liberties, our Parliament, who dared to stand as Prime Minister and claim they could lock the doors on Parliament, would not deserve to be Prime Minister and we would bring him down.
If he tried to do it – he would be doing it knowing that Parliament was almost entirely against the central plank of this policy. He would try to stop us by stopping us being able to sit.
‘That’s what Charles I did – that led to very disturbing things in this country.
I’m sure he doesn’t mean it – I’m sure like his taxation policy he hasn’t thought it through. We need a serious prime minister for a serious country.’