Tory MPs will vote to bring down the government, Dominic Grieve has said in the wake of shock news Boris Johnson will suspend parliament just weeks before the Brexit deadline.
The former attorney general Grieve has warned the new prime minister rebel Tories are ready to back a no-confidence motion and tear down Johnson’s administration over what the MP called a “reckless” and “unconstitutional” bid to avoid scrutiny in the Commons.
The prime minister was accused of a “coup” and of behaving like a “tin pot dictator” on Wednesday as he revealed he would ask the Queen to prorogue parliament from mid-September to mid-October.
Fears that Britain is now poised to tumble out of the European Union on October 31 without a deal, something the own government’s analysis has said will lead to a hard border in Northern Ireland, food and fuel shortages, riots and chaos at UK ports.
Johnson insisted that MPs will still have time to debate Brexit and that he was suspending parliament so he can set out a new domestic agenda in a fresh Queen’s speech on October 14.
Grieve said Tory backbenchers will not allow parliament’s voice to be muffled.
“I have always made clear that I want to stop a no-deal Brexit. I will take staged, graded measures to do it,” he said.
“I would wish if at all possible to avoid bringing down a Conservative government on a vote of no confidence but if that is what is ultimately took I would be willing to do it.
“I think there are a number of colleagues who have said exactly the same thing.”
Former justice secretary David Gauke, who resigned when Johnson was elected Tory leader, warned that the PM was setting a “dangerous precedent”.
Grieve said Johnson’s announcement was “a reckless act, it’s undemocratic and it’s unconstitutional”.
“Proroguing parliament for a lengthy period because parliament is inconvenient is unprecedented in modern times,” he said.
Grieve also dismissed Downing Street’s claim that only four sitting days (when parliament is in session) would be lost: “There wouldn’t have been a conference recess because parliament has already made quite clear it would not vote for a conference recess this year because of the urgency of the situation. And he [Johnson] knew that very well.”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has written to the Queen to express his concerns about Boris Johnson’s plan, it is understood.
In it, he requests a meeting with the Queen, along with other privy counsellors.
He agreed with other senior MPs on Tuesday that they would pursue legislation to block no-deal and that they could table a confidence motion “at some point”.
Corbyn said: “Suspending parliament is not acceptable, it’s not on.
“What the prime minister is doing is a sort of smash-and-grab on our democracy in order to force through a no-deal exit from the European Union.”
He asked “what’s he so afraid of” and added: “When parliament does meet – on his timetable very briefly next week – the first thing we will do is to try and legislate and to prevent what he is doing.
“And secondly to challenge him in a motion of confidence at some point.”
Meanwhile, a petition demanding that moves to suspend parliament are halted has smashed the 100,000 threshold and will be debated by MPs.
The petition on parliament’s website amassed the number required less than three hours after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he planned to suspend parliament.
Any petition that secures 10,000 signatures is guaranteed a government response and 100,000 names forces a debate in parliament.