Furious Downing Street accuses Labour and SNP of moving to ‘sell UK down the river’ with ‘plot’ to wreck Brexit by installing Jeremy Corbyn as caretaker PM
DOWNING Street has warned the UK and Brexit will be 'sold down the river' with a plot to install Jeremy Corbyn as a caretaker PM as early as next week under SNP plans.
The Scottish National Party are prepared to let the lefie Labour boss walk into No10 so he could extend Article 50 - because the party is worried Boris Johnson will find a way to push Britain out of the EU without a deal.
The PM has vowed to deliver Brexit on October 31 no matter what - despite a law which was passed saying he would have to seek a delay if he couldn't get a deal.
SNP boss Nicola Sturgeon said this morning: "VONC (Vote of No Confidence), opposition unites around someone for sole purpose of securing an extension, and then immediate general election.
"Nothing is risk free but leaving Johnson in post to force through no deal - or even a bad deal - seems like a terrible idea for me."
She insisted she was “no great fan of Jeremy Corbyn”.
But she added: “The point I’m making is not really about who it should be — I’m open-minded on that — more that the opposition needs to unite behind a plan and act.”
No10 warned an SNP-Labour pact would “sell the UK down the river”.
A source added: “The public don’t want to see these backroom deals — they want to see Parliament held to account at an election.”
'A FOOL'S ERRAND'
Mr Corbyn’s route to No10 depends on Mr Johnson losing a no-confidence vote.
He would then become PM only to block No Deal before going to the polls.
But he would still need the support of the 18 Lib Dem MPs and 20 Tory rebel MPs.
And a Lib Dem source said: “It’s a fool’s errand.”
A Downing Street source the intervention showed Labour had done a deal to hold a second Scottish independence in return for being propped up in power.
A senior SNP source close to the leadership Robert Peston last night: "It is increasingly clear that we will have to install a new prime minister via a vote of no confidence, so that we can request a delay to Brexit and hold an election.
"The convention is absolutely clear that it is the leader of the opposition - in this case Jeremy Corbyn - who should become prime minister in those circumstances.
"Trying to find a compromise candidate, a national unity candidate, is too complicated, especially in the time we have. Whether people like it or not, the temporary prime minister has to be Corbyn."
Sources said the plot could be moved as early as next week.
MOVE COULD COME AFTER NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE
Earlier this week the party's Westminster leader Ian Blackford suggested the party wouldn't be opposed to putting the leftie Labour boss in No10.
Asked on Radio 4's Today programme if he’d back the Labour leader to succeed Mr Johnson after a successful no-confidence vote, he said: "I'm less concerned about the individual. I think it is fair to say that, in such a scenario, the official leader of the Opposition is the first point of contact as far as that is concerned.
"But we are only talking about putting someone in place in order to call an election. On that basis, I wouldn't be opposed to that."
He tweeted last night: "We are facing someone that will stop at nothing. We need to take the keys of number 10 from him."
NO DEAL BLOCKERS
However, the two parties would have to get the Liberal Democrats or other MPs on board to help push a vote of no confidence in Boris over the line, and to get enough MPs together to form a temporary coalition.
At the moment there is little prospect of Lib Dem boss Jo Swinson agreeing to put Corbyn into No10.
Some of the 34 independent MPs may be willing to get them across the line - but most of them are former Tories and unlikely to back them.
Only with the help of them are they likely to succeed.
Under the plans Mr Corbyn would then seek an extension to Brexit, and then call an election.
Last night opposition parties including Labour, the SNP, Lib Dems, Greens and Plaid Cymru met again to discuss how to stop a No Deal Brexit.
They agreed that they wouldn't vote for an election unless there was a lock preventing a No Deal.
The parties will look at "all parliamentary mechanisms" they can and would meet again on Monday.
We remain open to all options to achieve the aim of stopping a No Deal Brexit and getting rid of Boris Johnson
SNP spokesman
An SNP spokesperson said this morning: "It is now possible - if the political will is there - that parties could come together to ensure that the letter to secure an extension is not left in the hands of Boris Johnson and his cronies, who are determined to find a way to get around the Benn Act, but is instead sent by a temporary caretaker prime minister, who would be in office only as long as is necessary to send the letter, with an election held immediately afterwards.
"We remain open to all options to achieve the aim of stopping a No Deal Brexit and getting rid of Boris Johnson."
A Labour source said this morning: "It might have to come out of the box.
"It's the simplest and most democratic way to stop No Deal. It would be strictly time-limited government to stop no deal."
Government plays down plan to bypass 'surrender act' as 'nonsense'
INSIDERS have slapped down rumours that the Government put off inacting the 'surrender' act as "nonsense".
Senior Government sources this morning said they didn't recognise the plan to use an Order of the Council to bypass the act - which would put off implementing the law until after Brexit day.
Ministers today refused to comment on whether they've discussed a new plan to avoid a third Brexit extension.
International Development Secretary Alok Sharma told Radio 4: "I'm not going to set out discussions that have occurred in the privacy of Cabinet," he told the BBC.
"We are absolutely going to comply with the law, we are working incredibly hard to get a deal and we will be leaving on October 31."
Last night Tory party chairman James Cleverly was asked about the idea on Question Time, but he refused to comment.
"I’m not going to discuss how we progress with this," he said.
MPs across the divide don't trust that Boris Johnson will obey a new law called the 'Benn Act' which will force the PM to go to Brussels and seek a third Brexit delay - which is why they are considering the extreme plan.
Opposition leaders have refused to bring Boris' government down because there's no consensus around a unity PM at the moment, and they are concerned about him taking Britain out during an election period if one is automatically called within 14 days.
The PM has insisted he will obey the Benn law and we will still leave on October 31.
But it's unclear how he would do that if he didn't get a deal signed off.
Last night ex-PM Sir John Major suggested that Boris may use an order of council to delay the implementation of the Benn Act.
Sir John said last night: "It is important to note that an Order of Council can be passed by Privy Councillors – that is Government Ministers – without involving HM The Queen. I should warn the Prime Minister that – if this route is taken – it will be in flagrant defiance of Parliament and utterly disrespectful to the Supreme Court.
"It would be a piece of political chicanery that no-one should ever forgive or forget."
Boris tells Cabinet Tories aiming to win 50 marginal seats in snap election - with huge funding boost
BORIS Johnson has told his Cabinet that the Tories are aiming to seize FIFTY marginal seats in the next election to secure a victory.
The PM said that would be enough for a "functional majority" in the House of Commons, if they were to win the vote.
He's been calling for an election to break the political deadlock for weeks, but Jeremy Corbyn has been running scared of one.
The leftie boss said he would agree to go to the polls this year - but only after a Brexit extension has been secured.
The PM is miles ahead of Mr Corbyn on leadership and the numbers are moving in the right direciton, the Cabinet heard.
Tory sources also said that the last month had been the best eber for fundraising.
One minister said: "Labout must have the same numbers which is why they're running scared from an election."
And Boris said on a deal that "even the Spartans are going to have to compromise" and everyone wouldn't get exactly what they wanted.
He also told his top team that the slogan for next week's conference will be 'Get Brexit Done'.
The Tories will head off to Manchester for their annual gathering on Sunday.
MOST READ IN POLITICS
Meanwhile Brexit Secretary Steven Barclay is jetting to Brussels this morning for fresh talks with Michel Barnier.
But already he's briefing that the current talks are not producing anything, and that Britain isn't any closer to a deal.
He also expressed concern that the current row in the Commons over political language had damaged chances of a deal.
Mr Barnier added: "Even with two meetings a week the non-papers so far do not make up as serious alternative for the backstop. The current polarization in the UK has further reduced the chances of agreement in the House of Commons."
At last night's ambassador's meeting on Brexit member states discussed a "cut off date" for Brexit proposals to be put forward from the EU.
Seven out of ten Leave voters have NO trust at all in MPs, poll reveals
SEVEN out of ten leave voters have NO trust in MPs at all, a shock poll has revealed.
Trust among Brits who opted for Brexit has dramatically dropped from 43 per cent back in 2018, the Deltapoll survey for the Centre for Policy Studies showed.
54 per cent of Brits did not have faith in MPs at all.
Only 30 per cent did, it showed.
The damning results show the impact of failing to deliver Brexit on trust in British politics.
Boris Johnson has warned that never again will the public back the Conservatives - or other politicians - if they don't follow through with their promise and come out of the EU on October 31.
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