- The Prime Minister appeared live from Downing Street on the social media site
- He was watched by more than 7,000 people during the broadcast from No 10
- He said it allowed him to take questions ‘unpasteurised, unmediated’
- PM blasted ‘collaboration going on between people who think they can block Brexit in Parliament and our European friends’
- He addressed questions on Brexit, mental health, knife crime and the Union
Boris Johnson sensationally accused Remainer MPs of ‘collaborating’ with the EU to stop Brexit as he held his first ‘People’s PMQs’ on Facebook today.
The Prime Minister took aim at politicians trying to thwart attempts to leave on October 31 with or without a deal with Brussels as he appeared live from Downing Street on the social media site.
His strongly-worded intervention came as Tory Eurosceptics launched a furious backlash against Philip Hammond after the former chancellor co-ordinated a Remainer attack on the PM, accusing him of torpedoing any chance of a new Brexit deal.
Mr Hammond authored an explosive letter to Mr Johnson, signed by a ‘Rebel Alliance’ of 20 of the former Cabinet minister’s Tory Europhile colleagues, in which he suggested the PM had ‘set the bar so high that there is no realistic’ chance of a new divorce agreement being struck with Brussels.
Meanwhile, in a column for The Times he took aim at Mr Johnson’s top aide Dominic Cummings who he accused of ‘pulling the strings’ to steer Britain towards a No Deal split from the EU.
In reply to a question about Brexit and parliamentary opposition from ‘Luther in Cheshire’, Mr Johnson said: ‘Luther you have asked the crucial question and there is a terrible kind of collaboration going on between people who think they can block Brexit in Parliament and our European friends
The Facebook Live event was billed as ‘The People’s PMQs’ by No 10 and marks a new direction in political interaction
The Prime Minister appeared live from Downing Street on the social media site in a session designed to semi-replicate the Prime Minister’s Questions session usually held on Wednesdays in the House of Commons
‘Our European friends are not moving in their opposition to, their willingness to compromise.
‘They are not compromising at all on the Withdrawal Agreement, even though it has been thrown out three times, they’re still sticking with every letter, every comma of the Withdrawal Agreement including the backstop, because they still think that Brexit can be blocked in Parliament.
‘The awful thing is the longer that goes on the more likely it is of course that we well be forced to leave with a No Deal Brexit.’
Mr Johnson addressed questions on Brexit, mental health, knife crime and the Union during the 12-minute session, watched by more than 7,000 people at the peak of the broadcast.
The Prime Minister appeared sat at a desk, with a red London bus behind him and a tablet computer propped up in front of him.
The live broadcast was designed to semi-replicate the Prime Minister’s Questions session usually held on Wednesdays in the House of Commons.
He said the platform allowed him to take questions ‘unpasteurised and unmediated from you, via this machine’.
Mr Johnson said he remains ‘confident we will get there’ and leave the EU on October 31, noting: ‘In the end both our friends in other European capitals, and I think MPs, will see it’s vital to get on and to do it.’
Naomi Smith, chief executive of Remainer organisation Best for Britain, said: ‘It’s extraordinary that the new Prime Minister has decided to lash out at our closest trading partners like this.
‘This administration and the last one have failed time and again to negotiate properly, suggesting only fantasy proposals.
‘The country is tired of this bluster which will only serve to destroy relationships with our nearest neighbours.’
Ministers and eurosceptic MPs had earlier hit back hard at Mr Hammond, accusing him of the ‘crime’ of failing to adequately prepare the UK for the option of a No Deal split.
Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, said Mr Hammond’s approach to contingency planning while in Number 11 ‘wasn’t exactly working’ and had meant the EU knew the UK was not ‘serious’ about quitting the bloc without an accord.
Philip Hammond, the former chancellor pictured in Downing Street on July 24, has penned a letter to Mr Johnson attacking his Brexit strategy
Dominic Cummings, pictured leaving his London home this morning, has been accused by Mr Hammond of steering the UK towards a No Deal divorce from the EU
Iain Duncan Smith, the Tory former leader and a prominent ally of Mr Johnson, accused Mr Hammond of having done ‘nothing to prepare us for leaving with No Deal’.
The worsening Tory Brexit civil war came as John Bercow last night vowed to ‘fight with every breath in my body’ to stop the PM from suspending parliament to force through a disorderly split from the bloc.
He also insisted that MPs can stop a No Deal Brexit from happening on October 31 as Mr Hammond this morning seized on Mr Bercow’s remarks as he said he was ‘very confident’ a mechanism could be found to block No Deal.
The combination of Mr Hammond’s so-called ‘Rebel Alliance’ declaring war on No Deal and Mr Bercow’s comments about stopping a disorderly split have put Downing Street on red alert.
Mr Johnson inherited a wafer thin Commons majority from Theresa May and he cannot afford to lose the support of 20 Tory MPs if he is to have any chance of winning crunch votes.
Mr Johnson’s broadcast marks a change in interaction between the occupant of No 10 and the public, with nothing of its kind attempted live by Theresa May.
He answered questions asked by viewers and placed in the comments section next to his broadcast.
The Commons is currently in its summer recess and the real PMQs is not due to return until the first week of September, when he will take on Jeremy Corbyn from the Dispatch Box for the first time.
Answering a question about another possible general election, Mr Johnson said he believes the British public have ‘had a lot’ of elections and electoral events in recent years.
He added: ‘I think what they want us to do is get on and deliver Brexit on October 31. I never tire of telling you that’s what we’re going to do.’
Mr Hammond rebuffed claims from Number 10 sources that he had tried to undermine the government’s Brexit strategy during his time as chancellor
Mr Johnson addressed questions on Brexit, mental health, knife crime and the Union during the 12-minute session, watched by more than 7,000 people at the peak of the broadcast
The broadcast marks a change in interaction between the occupant of No 10 and the public, with nothing of its kind attempted live by Theresa May
John Bercow, pictured in the Commons in July, last night said he believed MPs could stop a No Deal Brexit
Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary pictured after his elevation to the Cabinet on July 25, today rebuffed Mr Hammond’s Brexit criticism
It is not Mr Johnson’s first live appearance on Facebook Live since entering No 10.
Last week he announced a new immigration policy to make it easier for scientist’s to work in the UK via the broadcast platform.
Surrounded by prime-ministerial props (and a model of a London bus), he detailed his progress on issues such as crime, the NHS and Brexit.
In his video, Mr Johnson listed the recruitment of more police, more cash for hospitals and clean energy proposals
He announced his pledge on immigration to change the rules so that Britain could recruit the top brains in the world. And he said this was being done while preparations to leave the EU ‘no ifs or buts’ by October 31 were continuing.
Both the main political parties are ramping up the pressure in what is likely to be a fearsome few months of campaigning on social media, with both parties vying to get the upper hand.
The two options being pursued by Remainers as they battle to block No Deal Brexit
Westminster is braced for an explosive couple of months as the October 31 Brexit deadline looms.
Boris Johnson has made a ‘do or die’ vow to get the UK out of the bloc by the crucial date, with or without a deal.
But Remainer MPs have been mobilising as they seek ways of blocking the country from crashing out.
There does appear to be a majority in the Commons against No Deal – but MPs are badly split over how they should go about binding the hands of the government.
Remainers admit they are now at a ‘fork in the road’, with opinion divided between two potential options for averting No Deal.
Some, such as Tory former Cabinet minister Dominic Grieve, have been focusing on whether a no-confidence motion could be passed to evict Mr Johnson from power if he is about to push through Brexit without an agreement.
Mr Grieve has suggested putting a ‘unity’ premier into No10, perhaps Labour veteran Margaret Beckett, who could ask for an extension to the Article 50 process.
However, Mr Johnson’s hard-line Brexit adviser Dominic Cummings has made it known that he would simply refuse to quit even if he loses a confidence vote, and try to call an election for after the deadline.
Mr Johnson, pictured yesterday at HMP Leeds, is facing a major parliamentary battle in September and October with anti-No Deal MPs expected to try to thwart his ‘do or die’ pledge
The other avenue being pursued by Remainers is to pass a law that would oblige the PM to seek and accept an extension to Article 50 from the EU.
Unlike the confidence vote, that would not risk Parliament being dissolved for an election – which could leave MPs powerless to stop No Deal.
But there are concerns that Mr Johnson might either ignore the law or refuse to accept any conditions Brussels puts on an extension.
Option 1: A vote of no confidence in the Government
If the stand-off has not been broken by September, Labour is expected to team up with Tory rebels to stage an early confidence vote to stave off the threat of crashing out.
It is a drastic option that would end the careers of any Conservative MPs who join, but only a PM can request an extension to the Article 50 process, and the legal default currently is that the UK leaves at Halloween with or without an agreement.
As the government’s working majority is just one and with strong cross-party opposition to No Deal, there is a serious prospect that Mr Johnson will lose.
But Mr Cummings reportedly ‘laughed’ at a meeting recently when it was put to him that Mr Johnson would have to quit if he lost such a vote.
Instead, he could try to wait for an election to be triggered and fight it on a ‘people vs politicians’ ticket, complaining that his opponents are trying to block Brext.
He could also try to fix an election date that was after the Brexit date – robbing the Commons of its ability to control the process and achieving a No Deal Brexit by default.
Remainers believe if the premier refused to go quietly the Queen would be forced to sack him and a unity Government could be installed, with Margaret Beckett a rumoured interim leader
Under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act (FTPA), losing a confidence motion triggers a 14 day countdown to an election being called.
During that period it is possible for a Prime Minister to win a confidence vote and prevent the country going to the polls.
However, the legislation is silent on whether the same premier can return to try again.
Remainer MPs say the Queen would have to sack Mr Johnson if he refused to resign after losing a confidence vote.
But the monarch has always been extremely wary of wading into politics, and it is far from clear that there will be another politician with more chance of commanding a majority in the Commons. Labour has already ruled out the Remainers’ favoured option of a national unity government, and Mr Corbyn can barely rely on the support of his own MPs – let along Tories.
Option 2: Passing a law to delay Brexit
Pro-EU MPs have already deployed the tactic of seizing control of Commons business to pass a law insisting on a Brexit delay.
In April a Bill sponsored by Labour’s Yvette Cooper and Tory Oliver Letwin made it through Parliament, which paved the way for the Article 50 extension to October 31.
There are moves afoot to cancel the schedule recess next month, which would give more time.
It would require the assistance of Speaker John Bercow, but he has shown himself will to stretch procedural rules to breaking point in order to facilitate MPs getting involved in the Brexit process.
Potentially this approach would involve an emergency debate – known as a Section 24 debate – being tabled and accepted by the Speaker.
He would then allow the MPs to put down a business motion in the slot the next day, setting out the steps for a law to be passed.
That legislation is likely to be very short, simply instructing the PM to seek and accept an extension from the EU.
Remainers are divided over whether the Bill should point the way to a resolution to the Brexit crisis, such as a referendum.
However, if passed by the Commons and the Lords, Mr Johnson would be breaking the law if he refused to ask for an extension.
Refusing to comply would spark legal action, and cause a constitutional crisis.
source:dailymail