Boris Johnson faces Brexit challenges as he steps up talks with EU

President Emmanuel Macron (L) has not changed course on Brexit, despite claims.

The French government rejects claims that President Emmanuel Macron has changed course on Brexit, the Elysée Palace said on Friday.

Manon Hirtz, press attaché to the French presidency, told CNN that France’s position on Brexit is “clear, known and constant.”

Hirtz was responding to a CNN question about former British prime minister Gordon Brown reportedly saying in a speech that Macron “is no longer in favor of a fixed deadline for Brexit.”

Brown?also said: “I have been speaking to EU leaders and I believe next week the EU will withdraw the 31 October deadline, so removing Johnson’s excuse for no deal,” according to Andrew Adonis, a Labour peer.

Brown’s office did not respond to repeated CNN questions about the speech. The European Union does not have the power to withdraw the October 31 Brexit deadline without UK agreement, according to Article 50.

Macron spokeswoman Hirtz added that the French president had reiterated his position last week during Boris Johnson’s visit to Paris.

In a joint statement, Macron had said it was “up to the UK to decide its destiny” after a “long negotiated deal.” He added it is “not up to any European country alone to negotiate or renegotiate that deal.”

Late on Thursday, the British government announced it was intensifying talks with Brussels in the hope of negotiating a new deal and a way out of the impasse on the Irish backstop.

However, in his joint statement last week, Macron said the backstop was “not simply technical constraints but vital guarantees for the preservation of stability in Ireland and the integrity of the single market which is the basis of the European project.”

The issue of proroguing Parliament before the Brexit deadline was first raised during the Conservative leadership contest, when Dominic Raab – now Foreign Secretary – refused to rule out the idea.

It was roundly criticized as undemocratic by a number of his colleagues, many of whom have not been so vocal since Johnson announced he would suspend Parliament on Wednesday.

A reminder – Johnson is?not?suspending Parliament during the Brexit period, as many Remainers claimed during the contest that he would do, and his plans to close the chamber before a Queen’s Speech are not unusual.

But there is also little doubt that the timing of the move is intended, in large part, to limit the amount of time lawmakers have to legislate against a no-deal Brexit – so it’s worth a refresher on what some of Johnson’s ministers said on the issue of suspending Parliament, as the clock ticks down to Brexit.

Amber Rudd:?The former home secretary, and current Work and Pensions Secretary, was once an outspoken opponent of a no-deal Brexit, but she seems to have eased that stance more recently.

Then:?In June, Rudd called the suggestion of proroguing Parliament “absolutely outrageous,” “extraordinary” and “ridiculous.”

Now:?Rudd ducked questions about Johnson’s decision on Thursday, telling the Press Association:?“I’m going to continue to do my job as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.”

Matt Hancock:?A rival of Johnson’s in the Conservative leadership election, Hancock was kept in his role as Health Secretary by Johnson.

Then:?Hancock said proroguing Parliament “undermines parliamentary democracy.” He added that doing so in order to explicitly pursue a no-deal Brexit “is not a serious policy,” and asked “what kind of message would this send around the world about our values?”

Now:?Hancock has been quiet on Twitter and hasn’t made any public statements.

Sajid Javid:?Another contender in the Tory leadership race, Javid is now Johnson’s Chancellor.

Then:?“You don’t deliver democracy by trashing democracy – you can’t just shut down Parliament,” Javid said during the leadership contest. “We are not selecting a dictator of our country, we are selecting a prime minister of our country.”

Now:?Javid hasn’t spoken to the media since Johnson suspended Parliament.

Michael Gove: The man who famously scuppered Johnson’s leadership bid in 2016 was appointed Chancellor of the?Duchy?of Lancaster?by the Prime Minister last month.

Then: “It would not be true to the best traditions of British democracy.”

Now: “Parliamentarians will have plenty of time when we come back next week to debate Brexit.”

Quite a lot. Lawmakers and campaigners will be scrambling to bolster or block UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to suspend Parliament for five weeks from mid-September.

Tuesday, September 3

Wednesday, September 4

Thursday, September 5

Liberal Democrats leader Jo Swinson has also joined the legal action launched by businesswoman Gina Miller, and supported by former Prime Minister John Major and deputy leader of the Labour Party Tom Watson.

“We cannot allow the PM to silence the people and their representatives,” she tweeted.

Tom Watson called the Prime Minister's move to suspend Parliament an "affront to democracy"

The legal action launched by businesswoman Gina Miller, and supported by former Prime Minister John Major, has gained another high-profile figure.

The deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party, Tom Watson, called Boris Johnson’s planned suspension of Parliament “an unprecedented affront to democracy” as he announced his decision to join the duo in a statement posted on Twitter.

“The rights and freedoms of our citizens have been vandalised. This is an abuse of power that can and should be stopped,” he added.

In an extraordinary move, a former British prime minister has joined a legal battle to stop current leader Boris Johnson from?suspending Parliament?in the runup to Brexit.

Anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller?on Thursday launched a legal challenge to stop Johnson from closing Parliament for five weeks in?the run-up to Brexit.

John Major, who led the country from 1990 to 1997, announced Friday he would be joining the legal effort.

Major, who is from the same Conservative Party as Johnson, said he had decided to join Miller rather than launch his own claim because of the “imminence” of the suspension and to “avoid duplication of effort, and taking up the court’s time through repetition.”

Read the full story here.

Demonstrations are expected across the country on Saturday over Boris Johnson’s proroguing of Parliament.

Tens of thousands of people have expressed interest on social media for “Stop the coup, defend democracy” protests across the UK on Saturday.

“We we can’t just rely on the courts or parliamentary process to save the day. We all have a duty to stand up and be counted,” Anti-Brexit campaign group Another Europe wrote online.

The group has organized over 30 demonstrations to take place in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, left-wing campaign group Momentum – which has also backed the nation-wide protests – has called on people to block roads and bridges in 10 major cities.

“This is an establishment coup by a tiny, privileged elite who have been eroding our democracy for decades. Real power doesn’t sit with the Queen or in Parliament. It’s with us, the people – and that’s why we need to take action,” Momentum’s National Coordinator, Laura Parker said in a statement.

“We’re expecting tens of thousands of us people to come against Johnson closing the doors on democracy. Our message to Johnson is this: if you steal our democracy, we’ll shut down the streets.”

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says MPs will have plenty of time to debate Brexit

Boris Johnson said his decision to prorogue Parliament was part of his negotiating stance with the European Union in an interview with Sky News, warning critics that they risked ruining Britain’s chances of getting a better deal.

“What I want to do now, what most people in this country want this government to do, is get on and try and get an agreement,” he said. “But if we can’t get an agreement, get ready to come out anyway.”

He added that this do-or-die stance helps strengthen the UK’s negotiating position with the EU, but warned critics they were getting in way.

And in spite of suspending Parliament for five weeks, Johnson insisted that Members of Parliament would have enough time to debate Brexit, and pointed out that they had repeatedly failed to reach a consensus in the past.

He added that cancelling the referendum would be the “worst thing to do now” after “all the promises made.”

The interview comes after he called for an increased tempo to Brexit talks.

Provide Brussels with “concrete proposals” if you want a new deal, European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva told reporters Friday following UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s call to increase the tempo of talks.

“Our position remains that we will first need to see proposals, concrete proposals from the UK government that are compatible with the Withdrawal Agreement before we can take these discussions further,” she said.

European leaders are reluctant to re-open the Brexit agreement. Boris Johnson has demanded that the so-called Irish backstop be removed from the deal.

The backstop is an insurance policy that is designed to prevent the return of a hard border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and the Republic of Ireland, which is part of the EU.

“We have always said on our side that our doors remain open and we have demonstrated in fact our willingness to work 24/7 throughout this long process,” Andreeva added

“We expect the UK to come forward with concrete proposals as President [Jean-Claude] Juncker made clear to Prime Minister Johnson earlier this week.” ?

Raymond McCord's son was killed in 1997.

An application in Northern Ireland for an injunction against Boris Johnson’s plan to “prorogue” Parliament will not be heard on Friday, the Press Association reports.

In a short hearing at Belfast High Court, Northern Ireland’s Lord Chief Justice said that a judge would decide Tuesday on whether the case should be heard later next week, PA reported.

On Tuesday, a hearing in a separate but similar case in Scotland is also due to take place.

The application to the Belfast court was made by victims campaigner Raymond McCord, whose son was killed by loyalist paramilitaries in 1997, PA reported.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps took a more optimistic tone towards no deal Brexit planning, saying the UK is “more ready than people realize” for a hard break with the European Union.

Speaking to the BBC on Friday, he said there was “still more to do” and that he spent “virtually every day” in the Cobra planning room planning for a possible no-deal scenario with the EU.

Cobra meetings are generally reserved for emergency government sessions.

Speaking later on Sky News, he said that the government was still hoping to get a “free trade best in class” deal with the EU, but that “we will be ready either way.” He added “there was probably just a first chink of light” from EU leaders when they met with Boris Johnson at the G7 summit in Biarritz, France last weekend.

His comments come more than a week after?a government report leaked to The?Sunday Times?newspaper revealed the UK would face food, fuel and medicine shortages if it crashes out of the bloc without a transition deal.

Experts have long warned that a no-deal scenario would have grave implications for the economy.

Read more about what a no-deal Brexit would mean for the economy here.

Gina Miller orchestrated the successful campaign to ensure a parliamentary vote on any Brexit deal.

Next week is gearing up to be a major week in the courts, as groups who have legal attempts against Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to “prorogue” Parliament head to courts across the UK.

Businesswoman Gina Miller’s challenge “will be heard next Thursday 5th September,” the prominent anti-Brexit campaigner wrote on Twitter. She also confirmed she will be joined by former prime minister John Major.

In Scotland, a separate case’s main hearing has been moved forward by three days, to September 3.

“I see that as a victory for us,” SNP MP Joanna Cherry, who is leading the legal challenge alongside Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, told Sky News.

She anticipates “a decision in this case by next Wednesday at the latest.”

The Good Law Project director Jolyon Maugham, who is supporting the Scottish case, said Friday’s decision “just kicks the can a few days down the road,” adding that they are “pleased” by the change of hearing dates.

A top court in Scotland has rejected a demand for an immediate halt to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to suspend Parliament for five weeks in September and October, the Press Association reported.

The action was brought by a group of 70 anti-no deal Brexit lawmakers, who were seeking the Scottish version of an injunction against the suspension of Parliament until a final decision has been made in the case.

Friday’s decision does not end the legal action. The judge in the case, Lord Raymond Doherty, ruled only that there is no need for an immediate order to block Johnson’s plan. He scheduled a full hearing in the legal action for next Tuesday, bringing it forward by a few days. Prorogation is due to begin the following Monday, September 12.

“I’m not satisfied that it has been demonstrated that there’s a need for an interim suspension or an interim interdict to be granted at this stage,” Doherty said, according to PA.

The legal challenge in Scotland was the first of three taking place against “proroguing” Parliament.

Former prime minister John Major wants to join prominent anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller’s legal action against the suspension of Parliament, his office announced Friday.

John Major was UK prime minister from 1990 to 1997.?

“I intend to seek the Court’s permission to intervene in the claim already initiated by Gina Miller,” Major wrote in a statement.

He will be represented by former Conservative Party politician Edward Garnier, and Tom Cleaver.

Miller, who orchestrated the successful campaign to ensure a parliamentary vote on any Brexit deal, told the BBC that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was “hijacking the Queen’s prerogative power.”

Tory rebel Oliver Letwin said he was working with a cross-party group of MPs to avoid the suspension of Parliament.

There will be time next week to stop a no-deal Brexit, although getting the needed majorities in the House of Commons “is another matter,” said Conservative Party lawmaker Oliver Letwin, a leading opponent to no-deal.

Letwin is working with MPs in several parties to avoid the suspension, or prorogation, of Parliament, saying it “isn’t a proper proceeding,” adding that a number of his colleagues feel a disorderly no-deal exit would be a “very bad idea.”

He told BBC Radio 4 on Friday that MPs would “take action this coming week so that if the PM hasn’t got a deal in place, then he needs to seek an extension.”

The Conservative MP for West Dorset, who voted Remain in the 2016 referendum, said he had been in talks with House of Commons Speaker John Bercow?about the parliamentary procedures that would apply.

He said an extension was inevitable either way, given that any deal with the EU would require an implementation period.

Letwin said he supported Johnson’s bid to get a deal, adding he would not do anything that would “compromise” his ability to get one.

The veteran parliamentarian is known as something of a political fixer. He was an aide to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and a government minister under David Cameron.

Read more about him here

Boris Johnson is facing a backlash against his surprise decision to suspend Parliament in the runup to the next Brexit deadline.

It’s time to “step up the tempo” of talks with the EU, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday after his chief Brexit negotiator David Frost met EU officials.

The PM said both sides have agreed to meet twice a week during September “with the possibility of additional technical meetings, to discuss a way forward on securing a new deal,” the UK’s Press Association reported.

“While I have been encouraged with my discussions with EU leaders over recent weeks that there is a willingness to talk about alternatives to the anti-democratic backstop, it is now time for both sides to step up the tempo,” Johnson said.

“The increase in meetings and discussions is necessary if we are to have a chance of agreeing a deal for when we leave on October 31, no ifs no buts.”

His statement may not be enough to cool the frayed nerves of politicians, who are worried that Johnson’s planned suspension of Parliament will hasten a no-deal Brexit.

The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Thursday he was not ready to let go of the Northern Ireland backstop.

The UK front pages are, predictably, dominated by the ongoing fight in Westminster over Parliament’s suspension.

Brexit-backing paper the Sun says “All Systems Gojo” – a reference to the PM’s tabloid nickname “Bojo” – reporting that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is upping the “tempo” in Brexit talks with Brussels.

Meanwhile the Times and Independent papers report on the fightback against Johnson’s maneuver.

The Times details how Conservative Party rebels reportedly have a number of moves up their sleeves to block a no deal, including a plan for both houses of Parliament to work throughout the weekend of September 7-8.

The lawmakers are also looking into passing legislation that would force Johnson to ask for a Brexit extension in just three days.

The right-wing Daily Telegraph accuses opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn of backing a plan – by campaign group Momentum – to block roads and bridges in 10 major cities.

A Scottish judge is due to decide on Friday whether to issue an interim order halting the suspension of Parliament by Boris Johnson.

A cross-party group of 70 lawmakers backed the action at Scotland’s highest civil court that would stop the PM “proroguing” Parliament until a final decision has been made in the case.

A court in Northern Ireland is also expected to hear from lawyers for campaigners opposed to a no-deal Brexit. A separate attempt to do the same at the High Court in London is also under way.

Anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller issued an urgent application to the High Court for a judicial review that would seek to revoke the government’s decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks followed by a Queen’s Speech on October 14.

Gina Miller was a one of the campaigners who?thwarted the UK government's plans to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty without a vote in Parliament in November 2016.?

Miller launched a fundraising campaign to support the legal team launching the review. In just a few hours, the campaign had already raised ￡41,000 ($50,000) out of a target of ￡150,000 ($183,000).

“Whilst prorogation is an acceptable UK constitutional practice, no Prime Minister in modern history has attempted to use it in such a brazen manner,” she wrote on the fundraising page.

“These actions are more akin to dictatorship than democracy and as such their legality must be tested in the courts,” she said.

Good morning from London.

The UK rolls into its third day of Brexit chaos after Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked the Queen on Wednesday to suspend Parliament for five weeks to allow for a new session to start in mid-October.

The news triggered a chain reaction of outrage, street protests and resignations of politicians, complaining that the Prime Minister is attempting to block lawmakers from legislating against a no-deal Brexit.

But Johnson said MPs will have “ample” time to debate the issue.

Amid the fury, Johnson reportedly said he would hasten talks with Brussels for a Brexit deal and?the first of three legal challenges against the suspension of Parliament will be heard in Scotland Friday.