“Absolutely outrageous.” “Not a serious policy of a prime minister in the 21st century.” “A mad suggestion.”
The idea of suspending parliament to force through Brexit provoked unequivocal condemnation from senior Conservatives just weeks ago, with ministers falling over themselves to express their horror.
Now, after Boris Johnson moved to prorogue the Commons for five weeks ahead of the UK’s EU departure date of 31 October, his ministers’ once-steely opposition has turned to a more tight-lipped approach.
The Guardian hotfooted it to Whitehall in an attempt to get answers from ministers on their apparent U-turns, which follow on from strongly worded statements earlier in the summer.
Nicky Morgan
Proroguing parliament is clearly a mad suggestion” – 6 June
I’m a member of the cabinet, I fully support the prime minister” – Thursday
The newly appointed secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, Nicky Morgan, told the BBC’s Question Time programme in June that proroguing parliament was “clearly a mad suggestion”.
“You cannot say you are going to take back control … and then go: ‘Oh, by the way, we are just going to shut parliament down for a couple of months, so we are just going to drift out on a no deal,’” she said.
But on Thursday morning, when the Guardian spotted Morgan strolling past the gates of Downing Street, it was a different story. Asked to clarify her position on proroguing parliament given her previous opposition, she said: “I’m a member of the cabinet, I fully support the prime minister.”
Pressed again on whether she still harboured doubts about the plan as the Guardian struggled to keep pace with her along Parliament Street, she repeated firmly: “I support the prime minister.”
When asked to respond to critics’ suggestion that proroguing parliament represented an affront to democracy, she said nothing and walked away.
Matt Hancock
Prorogation would mean the end of the Conservative party” – 6 June
Morning, how are you? Sorry. How are you?” – Thursday
The health secretary, Matt Hancock, was once a vigorous opponent of the concept of prorogation, so much so that he wrote a letter during the Tory leadership campaign pledging to rule out the option and urging other candidates to do the same. “To suspend parliament explicitly to pursue a course of action against its wishes is not a serious policy of a prime minister in the 21st century,” he wrote.
The letter, dated 6 June, added: “A policy on Brexit to prorogue parliament would mean the end of the Conservative party as a serious party of government.”
Proroguing Parliament undermines parliamentary democracy and risks a general election. I rule it out and call on all candidates to do the same pic.twitter.com/4aaAK3Tq8M
— Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) June 6, 2019
Giving a speech during the campaign four days later, Hancock referenced war veterans saying that proroguing parliament would go against “everything that those men who waded onto those beaches fought and died for”. He added: “And I will not have it.”
Now, apparently, he will. Asked by the Guardian to clarify whether his position had changed, his spokesman failed to comment. Caught by reporters earlier in the day outside his house, he dodged their questions and hurried to his car. “Morning, how are you?” he replied. “Sorry. How are you?”
Michael Gove
It would not be true to the best traditions of British democracy” – 9 June
Parliamentarians will have plenty of time to debate Brexit” – Wednesday
Leave-supporting Michael Gove has also spoken out against suspending parliament. He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show in early June: “Proroguing parliament in order to try and get no deal through, I think would be wrong.”
Gove, appointed chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster by Johnson last month, added: “I think it would be wrong for many reasons. I think it would not be true to the best traditions of British democracy.”
The Guardian found a gaggle of remain protesters gathered outside the Cabinet Office at lunchtime, where Michael Gove was meeting union leaders from Unite and GMB to discuss their concerns about the “catastrophic” impact of a no-deal Brexit on Britain’s manufacturing industry.
He did not do much to allay their fears, it seems. Jude Brimble, the national secretary of the GMB Union’s manufacturing section, labelled the government’s approach “lastminute.com”.
Unite’s assistant general secretary, Steve Turner, condemned proroguing parliament, calling it an outrage and a silencing mechanism.
Asked to clarify his position, Gove’s spokesman pointed the Guardian to an interview he conducted with the BBC on Wednesday. Pressed on whether proroguing parliament was a political attempt to stop debate on Brexit and block MPs from preventing the country leaving the EU without a deal, Gove replied: “It’s certainly not. The prime minister is clear that he wants to use a new parliamentary session in order to ensure that the people’s priorities are met. It’s also the case that parliamentarians will have plenty of time when we come back next week to debate Brexit.”
Amber Rudd
Nobody should consider involving the Queen” – 16 June
I’m here on a visit to work out what’s going on in my department” – Thursday
The work and pensions secretary, Amber Rudd, described suspending of parliament as “absolutely outrageous” in June. “To consider closing parliament is the most extraordinary idea I’ve ever heard,” she said. “It is a ridiculous suggestion. For a start it would involve approaching the Queen ... nobody should consider doing that.”
Did she still think approaching the Queen would be an outrage when Jacob Rees-Mogg went to see her on Wednesday? Such questions did not seem to please her during a visit to Belfast. Still, at least she retained a laser-like focus on her day job.
Asked about proroguing parliament, she replied: “I’m here on a visit to work out what’s going on in my department, how people are helping people into work. And what I’ve seen today has been really reassuring.” Asked again about the suspension of parliament as she got into a waiting car, she said: “I’m going to continue doing my job as secretary of state for work and pensions.” Her spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.
Sajid Javid
You don’t deliver on democracy by trashing democracy” – 16 June
No comment” – Thursday
The chancellor, Sajid Javid, was also staunchly opposed to shutting down parliament during the Tory leadership campaign. “You don’t deliver on democracy by trashing democracy ... we are not selecting a dictator of our country,” he said. As the Guardian surveilled the Treasury, Javid was nowhere to be seen to explain his position. Nor did his spokeswoman answer its questions. he also seemed to be absent from the airwaves.
On the proroguing of parliament, a government spokesperson said: “We are currently in the longest parliamentary session in almost 400 years and it’s crucial that we put a bold and ambitious domestic programme to MPs so that we can deliver on people’s priorities across the country. To do this we need a Queen’s speech. This is about providing parliament with a new legislative programme that will help the NHS, fight crime, invest in infrastructure and cut the cost of living.
“As we have said previously, prorogation to suspend parliament, to block MPs further consideration of Brexit is not something we support. MPs will sit next week, the week after, the week before EU council, and two weeks after. Not only that, but the government will put its entire domestic agenda, and inevitably its approach to Brexit, to the vote as part of the Queen’s speech, with major votes on 21 and 22 October.”
Back outside the Cabinet Office, Brimble was furious about ministers’ change of tack. “They’re playing politics with people’s lives, they’re playing politics with people’s livelihoods,” she said. “They’re playing politics with the future of this country to appease the Brexiters in the Tory party.”
