Boris Johnson claims he would ‘rather be dead in a ditch’ than negotiate Brexit extension
Boris Johnson has said he would "rather be dead in a ditch" than ask the EU for an extension to Brexit negotiations, but declined to say whether he would resign rather than do so. The comments came on another disastrous day for the prime minister, as his own brother Jo walked out of his government in protest at his leadership. In a move which one former Tory minister described as “absolutely devastating” for the PM’s credibility, higher education minister Jo Johnson - who has previously advocated a Final Say referendum on EU membership - said he had found it impossible to reconcile his loyalty to his brother with the national interest
Jo Johnson's resignation is reported on most of the front pages. "Johnson suffers fresh setback as brother quits government," is the headline in the Financial Times. The i goes with: "PM defiant as brother walks out". The Daily Express leads with that defiance - its headline quotes Boris Johnson's words during his visit to Wakefield yesterday: "I'd rather be dead in a ditch than delay Brexit." According to the leads in the Times and the Daily Telegraph, Labour plans to block a general election until the prime minister has secured an extension to the Brexit deadline.
The Telegraph says Labour and the SNP have agreed to withhold support for an election before 19 October - the date by which Mr Johnson will have to have secured a further Brexit extension. The paper adds that some senior Labour figures want a delay until November so that Brexit will already have been extended by the time Britain goes to the polls. The leader column in the Financial Times has a damning assessment of Labour's economic policies and warns that voters who may soon have to decide whether to back the party in an election should be in no doubt what they would be opting for. It says Labour's agenda is untried and radical - with no precedent in Europe, beyond a rapidly aborted Swedish scheme. It is a one-way bet, according to the paper. At worst, it says it would destroy investor confidence and usher in economic disaster. At best, it would be an expensive wasted opportunity to solve the country's problems.
There is frustration and dismay at England's performance in the fourth Ashes Test - on the day that the Australian batsman, Steve Smith, scored a double century. The Mirror describes the team as flops and urges them to show real steel. For the Daily Mail, they have been flat, sloppy and shambolic - and a headline goes on to call them village idiots. England seem determined to hand the Ashes on a plate to Australia, the paper complains. The Sun says England need another Ben Stokes miracle to save the series. Finally, could the Loch Ness Monster be a giant eel? It's a question many papers are asking this morning, after one of the largest scientific studies of the loch. According to the Telegraph, scientists from New Zealand extracted DNA samples at different depths all over the loch, to find what lay underneath, and found a surprising amount of eel DNA. They found no reptilian DNA , ruling out past theories of a Jurassic-era creature. That - says the "i" - is the slippery truth about the Loch Ness Monster.
Man who politely told Boris Johnson 'please leave my town' hailed as hero After a day of chaos and humiliation, the Prime Minister shook the hand of a man on the street. And was very calmly told where to go
A man who politely told Boris Johnson "please leave my town" has been hailed as a hero online. Johnson visited Leeds and Wakefield this afternoon, after a week of chaos and humiliation.
And the humiliation didn't stop when he did a walkabout, shaking hands with members of the public. One man approached the PM, shaking his hand and smiling before very gently saying: "Please leave my town." Johnson replied: "I will. Very soon."
Caroline Spelman quits: Tory MP to stand down after ‘abuse and death threats’ which left her 'wearing panic button'
Tory MP Caroline Spelman said she will stand down at the next election following months of abuse and death threats over Brexit. Ms Spelman, 61, said she, her family and colleagues had been hit by a fierce "intensity of abuse arising out of Brexit". Announcing her decision to quit after 22 years in parliament, the MP for Meriden said: "Quite frankly, we've had enough".
The pound rebounds after Johnson defeated in Brexit vote
The pound has rebounded after traders cheered the defeat of Boris Johnson in Parliament on Tuesday night as rebel MPs seek to block a no-deal Brexit. Sterling jumped higher against the dollar and euro on Wednesday morning after Conservative rebels backed opposition parties to allow them to take control of business in the House in a bid to stop the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal.
The Times says Boris Johnson is being told to come up with a Plan B on Brexit, as opposition leaders say they will reject his call for a general election. Government sources suggest cabinet ministers have demanded a "fundamental rethink" of his strategy. The Guardian says it now appears unlikely Mr Johnson will succeed in his bid to force an election before 31 October, unless he takes the "nuclear option" of resigning.
The Sun believes the prime minister is prepared to step down and risk Labour getting into office, rather than delay Brexit. It also reports that Downing Street advisers are in talks to try to find what they call a "third way" out of the deadlock. The Daily Mail is scathing about the opposition pact to reject a new request for an election until Brexit is delayed, describing it as "the great election stitch-up". It says its own poll suggests "half of voters want an early election". The Financial Times says calls are growing for Mr Johnson to "rein in" his chief adviser, Dominic Cummings. The paper says he is "seen by some in Westminster as the real leader of the country".
'Total contempt' A "Tory insider" reveals that Mr Cummings' strategy "is to scorch the earth, destroy what's in front of him with a mind to rebuilding something else". And a former cabinet minister who was among the rebels purged from the party earlier this week condemns the move as that of someone with "total contempt for the party". The Times has learned that the MPs who proposed legislation to block no-deal had received assurances from European leaders that they would approve a three-month extension to Brexit to try to break the deadlock. It says the MPs have also "drawn up plans to take Boris Johnson to court if he follows through on his pledge not to put his name to an extension request". David Gauke, who was expelled from the party this week, tells the Guardian Mr Johnson's divisive strategy risks creating a "Farage-lite party" that will alienate millions of traditional Tory voters and leave deep scars.
The Sunday Times leads on its interview with Amber Rudd in which she announces her resignation from the government and the Conservative party. It says the intervention is all the more "explosive" because Ms Rudd was one of Boris Johnson's closest personal friends in the cabinet - but has now given a "withering" assessment of his conduct. Many of the other papers consider how Boris Johnson will respond to the passing of a law, drafted by opposition MPs, compelling him to request a delay to Brexit he's been adamant he won't seek.
The Sun on Sunday reports the prime minister is "plotting" to get round it by "paralysing" EU decision-making, to "provoke them into kicking the UK out." "The gloves are off", a senior Westminster source tells the paper. The Sunday Telegraph suggests Mr Johnson could challenge the new law in the Supreme Court, with Dominic Cummings - the prime minister's chief aide - creating a "shadow" team of advisers to work on the plan. A senior Whitehall source tells the paper Mr Johnson's allies will "take a chainsaw to anything in order to leave". The Sunday Express publishes what it calls "a heartfelt appeal" from the prime minister to its readers. He says he will give Jeremy Corbyn "one last chance" to agree to a general election - and if he refuses the government will "simply carry on". That would be a very risky strategy, according to The Observer. The paper has seen the advice given to Labour by a team of leading QCs, which concludes Mr Johnson would be declared in contempt of court if he ignores the law MPs have passed. "Britain is a rule-of-law country, so he will comply or leave office," says one of the barristers. "All other talk is bluster."
Non-aggression pact With an election likely looming, several of the papers explore potential alliances that might be struck. The Sunday Times says rebel Tories expelled from the party in the past week are in negotiations with the Liberal Democrats about an electoral non-aggression pact. Meanwhile, sources have told the Sunday Express that a deal between the Tories and the Brexit Party is "getting closer". Writing in the New York Times, the columnist Jenny Russell focuses on the importance of the prime minister's chief aide, Dominic Cummings. A "single-minded insurgent", he has deliberately created a confrontation with parliament so Mr Johnson can win an election as "the people's champion", she suggests
"One of the weakest links" in the plan, she says, is Mr Johnson, He "wants power accompanied by endless applause", but sources say he cried when his brother resigned last week. According to the Sunday Mirror, Mr Cummings is "hated" by some "mutinous" Tory MPs. It says a "furious delegation" is set to tell Boris Johnson this week he is "poisonous" and should be "booted out". But the Sunday Telegraph, in its editorial, urges Conservative MPs to "hold their nerve". Yes, Boris Johnson's axing of so many rebels was "brutal", it says, but "what choice did he have?" He must "stay the course", it urges. The alternative approach under Theresa May won the party just 9% at the European elections, the paper recalls. This is "a moment of great realignment" that will probably be "remembered for centuries to come", it suggests.
Boris Johnson 'nothing like' Churchill and Rees-Mogg a 'fraud', says sacked Tory Tory rebel MP Sir Nicholas Soames, the grandson of Winston Churchill, says he wanted to kick Jacob Rees-Mogg "firmly in the ****"
Sacked Tory rebel MP Sir Nicholas Soames says Boris Johnson is "nothing like" his grandfather Sir Winston Churchill - and called Jacob Rees-Mogg an "absolute fraud". Sir Nicholas, 71, tore into the Prime Minister and his right-hand man in a scathing interview as "unreliable" Mr Johnson's Brexit strategy lay in tatters.
The MP for 37 years said of the PM: "Boris Johnson is nothing like Winston Churchill. "I don't think anyone has called Boris a diplomat or statesman. "We all know the pluses and minuses, everyone he has worked for says the same thing: he writes beautifully [but he's] deeply unreliable."
And of Mr Rees-Mogg, he was even more unforgiving, telling the Times: "He is in serious danger of believing his own shtick.
"He is an absolute fraud, he is a living example of what a moderately cut double-breasted suit and a decent tie can do with an ultra-posh voice and a bit of ginger stuck up his ****." Sir Nicholas blasted Mr Rees-Mogg after the Leader of the House was pictured slouching on the front bench like a sunbed as the Prime Minister suffered one of several humiliating defeats this week.
Churchill's grandson said it was "**** bad manners" and he wanted to kick him "firmly in the ****", saying the scene was "repulsive".
The Prime Minister, who was seven months old when Churchill died in January 1965, is said to model himself on the former prime minister and wrote a biography on the wartime hero, who was crowned the greatest Briton in a BBC poll in 2002. Sir Nicholas, a former defence minister, said he can see no "helpful analogy" between the two leaders and Mr Johnson has not been acting like a statesman.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly lobbed childish insults at Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in a desperate bid to bully him into a snap general election. He embraced his new reputation as a rebel, wearing skull-and-crossbones braces as he was interviewed because he is now "officially entitled to wear pirate gear". But the MP for Mid Sussex admitted he was brought to tears when told that he and 20 other MPs had lost the Conservative whip for voting against the Government to push through legislation blocking a no-deal Brexit.
He said he has no regrets and he is worried about the direction of the party which is looking more and more like a "Brexit sect". Sir Nicholas described Mr Johnson as Brexit-obsessed Prime Minister who has signed up to the "Trump playbook", knows he will not get a deal with the EU before the October 31 deadline and is eager for an election. The consequences of it all could be disastrous for the Tories at the next election, he warned.
The Times suggests Boris Johnson has assured cabinet ministers that he will seek a further delay to Brexit from the EU if the courts order him to abide by legislation designed to block a no-deal exit. The paper says the prime minister's "private climbdown" follows warnings by senior colleagues "that their positions would be untenable if he flouted a Supreme Court ruling ordering him to accept an extension". BuzzFeed, however, publishes what appear to be leaked messages from a Conservative MPs' WhatsApp group, which show that some are "urging Boris Johnson to break the law" so he can deliver Brexit.
The website says two MPs suggested the prime minister should ignore the legislation. It says they were warned by the Justice Secretary, Robert Buckland, that "the government observes the rule of law at all times and for all seasons". The Daily Express columnist Leo McKinstry warns Mr Johnson that "a deal rather than judicial defiance" is needed. "Ignoring the law is the stuff of despots and revolutionaries," he writes, adding that it would "make a mockery of a Brexit which is meant to bring back parliamentary sovereignty."
And anyone who harboured dreams of being a train driver could have their own private railway in Hampshire for £60,000. There is one stipulation, according to the Times: as the new owner will be dealing with paying passengers, they must be "happy and cheerful"
Boris Johnson news – live: Outrage over PM’s 'illegal and monumentally ridiculous' plan to ignore parliament and force no-deal Brexit with second letter to EU
Boris Johnson is reportedly ready to send a second letter to the EU - alongside the formal request for a three-month Brexit delay required of him by the Benn bill - explaining that he does not actually want any delay after 31 October.
Labour figures branded the scheme, first revealed in The Daily Telegraph, both “ridiculous” and illegal.
Charlie Falconer, the former Lord Chancellor, said any attempt to destroy the “statutory purpose” of the letter to Brussels requested of the PM would be to “break law”.
Labour’s shadow solicitor general Nick Thomas-Symonds said the idea of sending two conflicting letters was “monumentally ridiculous”.
A red-eyed John Bercow appears on a number of Tuesday's front pages, photographed during his emotional resignation speech from the Speaker's Chair in the Commons. Much like the MPs who heard it, only half of whom applauded, the commentators are divided. The Financial Times and the Guardian note Mr Bercow's role in empowering backbenchers and the Daily Mirror says history will be kinder than his enemies. Ian Dunt, writing on Politics.co.uk, says Mr Bercow was the right man in the right place at the right time: an activist Speaker when the government worked actively to dismiss, degrade and eventually suspend Parliament. But the Times calls Mr Bercow a polarising figure, while the the Daily Telegraph says he leaves a legacy of mistrust. The Daily Mail's Richard Littlejohn dismisses the Speaker as "the partisan pipsqueak who disgraced his office". In the Sun's view, he's a "pompous windbag who embodies an illegitimate, anti-democratic establishment long overdue its reckoning". The Daily Express prefers to focus on what it calls Boris Johnson's barnstorming Commons performance, in which he refused to ask the EU for a delay, and accused opposition MPs of "cowardice" for stalling a general election. By contrast, Robert Shrimsley in the FT thinks Mr Johnson's increasingly shrill statements and briefings show all the attributes of a weak man trying to look strong. HuffPost UK's Paul Waugh describes him as a "zombie PM in a zombie Parliament". 'Pill popping nation' In other news, the Daily Mail welcomes a promise of action by Health Secretary Matt Hancock to help patients addicted to prescription drugs. The paper has been campaigning for greater recognition of the problem and it hails as a victory official recommendations for a national helpline and new guidelines for doctors. The story is also the lead in the Sun, which says Britain has become "a nation of pill poppers" 'Honouring cronies' Theresa May's resignation list is the main story for the Daily Mirror which accuses her of showering a host of blundering cronies with honours. "Mrs May exploited the system to recognise the loyalty and devotion of her own officials," the paper says. The Guardian returns to Whaley Bridge, the Derbyshire town that was threatened with disaster six weeks ago when a dam threatened to collapse, and finds it has become a "magnet for disaster tourists" including busloads of Chinese visitors keen to take photos of the reservoir. Businesses are bustling and the local baker says she has been working around the clock since reopening after the evacuation. Some call it the Chernobyl effect, says the Guardian, only without the deadly radiation.
Expelled senior Tory backs second Brexit referendum and says other Conservatives will follow 'There is another option - which is to bring back a deal and ensure a majority for it by attaching it to a referendum'
Expelled Tory heavyweight Oliver Letwin has thrown his weight behind a fresh Brexit referendum and told Boris Johnson it is his best escape route from the crisis. The former cabinet minister said there was “an increasing number of Conservative and ex-Conservative” MPs now ready to deliver a majority for a further public vote, with parliament deadlocked.
Sir Oliver said the prime minister has demanded to “take it back to the people” – but argued the general election he craves would fail break the impasse.
“It’s pretty clear that there is a huge number of Labour MPs, Lib Dem MPs and SNP MPs who would vote for any reasonable deal subject to a referendum,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“I think there is now an increasing number of Conservative, and ex-Conservative, who would as well, so I think there is a majority there too.” The former cabinet office minister acknowledged the prime minister had ruled it out, but added: “Boris has often changed his mind about many things – that’s one of his advantages that he is very flexible – so maybe he can.”
The i paper leads with news that restrictions on foreign students preventing them from staying in the UK to work following their graduation are to be relaxed. The policy "marks a significant departure from the immigration clampdown enforced by Theresa May when she was home secretary and PM," the paper says. Brexit solution? The Daily Telegraph, meanwhile, asks on its front page whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson could solve the Brexit deadlock with a plan for a regulatory rather than a customs border in the Irish Sea. The paper suggests the DUP has been receptive to the idea. Expectations are rising in Brussels, according to the Financial Times, that Boris Johnson is preparing to shift his position on a Northern Ireland-only backstop. But the Guardian reports that the newly appointed EU trade commissioner, Phil Hogan, said that while the proposal of an "all-Ireland" customs zone offered some hope, it was "some distance from a Brexit solution". The Times suggests a breakthrough is "just about plausible but very far from likely".
According to the Sun, Boris Johnson also faces questions of faith from the Eurosceptics within his party. Mr Johnson is said to have told Tory rebels that he is ready for what he calls "spears in my back" from hard-line members of the pro-Brexit European Research Group if he softens his stance on the Irish backstop.
'Grudge evictions' The Daily Express leads on its front page with a report that some care homes are being accused of evicting elderly patients after their families complained about their treatment. It has obtained figures which suggest more than 2,000 people were forced out of their accommodation in so-called "grudge evictions" last year. The Care Quality Commission told the Express that is aware of the problem, which it called "unacceptable." Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror and the Daily Star report that ITV is investigating after an actor who stars in its long-running soap Emmerdale allegedly threatened a star of rival show Hollyoaks backstage at this week's TV Choice awards. And finally Among the things that Monty Python suggests we can thank the Romans for, it seems one may be about to struck off: the Baths. According to the Times archaeologists in Hampshire have discovered brickwork at Silchester that suggests Iron Age man may have enjoyed a good soak in the tub well before the invasion of AD43.
Will Boris Johnson's all-Ireland Brexit solution sell-out Ulster? Unionists' fears grow as PM plans diplomatic blitz across Europe to agree backstop compromise
Boris Johnson (left) yesterday predicted he was 'going to get a deal' as he revealed he would visit a string of European capitals. The move came as the EU's new trade commissioner Phil Hogan stoked speculation the Prime Minister is exploring moves that could leave Northern Ireland closely aligned to the EU while the rest of the UK makes a clean break. DUP leader Arlene Foster (right), who held talks with Mr Johnson in Number 10, last night said he had 'confirmed his rejection of a Northern Ireland-only backstop'. She warned any deal that did not have the support of both communities in the Province was 'doomed to failure'. However officials confirmed Mr Johnson is exploring potential compromise options. These include leaving Northern Ireland aligned with EU regulations on food and farming, potentially reducing border issues.
I think Boris is toast if he fails to meet his October deadline. As no deal appears to have been stopped. His only chance to meet the deadline will be to get a deal.
The direction of travel appears to be a NI only, backstop. Something that the EU suggested over 2 years ago.
This was rejected by Theresa May, who claimed that the Government priorities were dictated by the fact that they were the Conservative and Unionist Party.
It was also rejected out of hand by the DUP. They claimed they would not accept being treated differently to the rest of the UK. Hence the UK wide backstop.
The ERG expressed support for the DUP.
Maybe Boris feels that he no longer needs the DUP so much, and may well be considering a NI only backstop, and a Canada style free trade agreement.
Although it is unclear whether or not the ERG would support this, and the DUP certainly wouldn't.
He may get some support from Labour MPs, that are just happy to leave with any deal rather than no deal.
The Labour Party after 5 minutes of unity seem to have reverted to ambiguity, and disunity.
I think that Labours plan for their election campaign does not take account of whether or not Boris meets his deadline.
If he does Corbyn is toast, and the Labour Brexit campaign wont matter.
If he fails to meet the deadline, the ambiguity may go against them.
I think that if the election took place after not leaving in October, Boris may get away with blaming the opposition parties. The Tories, and the Brexit Party would attract the bulk of the leave vote.
An unclear Labour position may drive remain voters in the direction of the Lib Dems, as they have a very clear position.
Labour would be in a much stronger position if Tom Watson got his way, and there was a referendum prior to an election.
If Boris cant get a deal, he could be the shortest serving PM ever, and be ousted without even winning a single vote.
The court case regarding prorogation will not have helped him one bit.
Took a huge bung (funded by the taxpayer) to support the Government, when they made the difference. But still demanded more money.
They no longer make the difference. You can always rely on BoJo to do what he considers right for BoJo. Everything changed when he threw out the One Nation Tory wing, thus consigning 200 years of the Tory middle ground to the dustbin.
I think the border means that increased all-Ireland trade unity is inevitable. However, it throws up some interesting parallels if Scotland gains independence and manages to rejoin the EU-although I think the former is a lot more likely than the latter.
This is the interesting stuff. That and what stance Labour has after its next Conference. And who wins the next election-because I don't think it is going to be a Conservative majority.
Took a huge bung (funded by the taxpayer) to support the Government, when they made the difference. But still demanded more money.
They no longer make the difference. You can always rely on BoJo to do what he considers right for BoJo. Everything changed when he threw out the One Nation Tory wing, thus consigning 200 years of the Tory middle ground to the dustbin.
I think the border means that increased all-Ireland trade unity is inevitable. However, it throws up some interesting parallels if Scotland gains independence and manages to rejoin the EU-although I think the former is a lot more likely than the latter.
This is the interesting stuff. That and what stance Labour has after its next Conference. And who wins the next election-because I don't think it is going to be a Conservative majority.
I am not sure that this moves him forward, as the last time I saw Mark Francois on the telly he claimed that 60 ERG members would vote against the deal, even with the backstop removed. He might of course, have been talking through his ar5e, as per usual. The absolute biggest chance of a Tory majority is to meet the October deadline, by getting a deal through. This would probably kill off the Brexit Party, hurt the Lib Dems. I don't think it helps Labour much, as Boris is promising to spend money like it is going out of fashion. An extension is likely to mean another hung Parliament. The other option is of course, a no confidence vote, and a Government of National Unity, to take control for a short time, and resolve Brexit. For this to happen, Corbyn would have to accept not being the leader of it.
The government's publication of the Yellowhammer contingency plan in the event of a no-deal Brexit makes many of Thursday's headlines. The Daily Mail says the "secret papers" are "explosive". The Guardian highlights the response of the shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer who said it was irresponsible to have tried to ignore the warnings. Stephen Bush from the New Statesman goes line by line through the document, intepreting its meaning. He suggests the authors feel an exit without agreement in October poses more risks than in March, in part due to the timing of the half-term holiday and in part due to the end of Britain's agricultural season. The Sun suggests that Michael Gove has deepened the row with Parliament by refusing to provide the government's latest worst case assessment of a no-deal exit from the EU. On its front page, the Times accuses the prime minister of defying MPs' orders to publish private messages on proroguing Parliament. The demand is reported to have been dismissed as "disproportionate."
The Daily Telegraph is among several papers to suggest that Mr Johnson has offered an "olive branch" to the 21 rebel MPs saying they can appeal against their expulsions from the party. The paper suggests the Conservative leader could be about to reach a Brexit deal and needs all the Commons support he can get. And the Scottish court ruling on the suspension of Parliament is the focus of several headlines, with the i declaring: "Queen dragged into 'unlawful' shutdown of Commons". The Daily Mirror boldly claims: "Boris lied to the Queen". A day after the Brexit Party offered the Conservatives an electoral pact in a front cover advert on the Daily Express, the paper leads with Mr Johnson's refusal to engage in such a deal.
Cancer survival rates The comparison of UK cancer survival rates with six countries is the front page story for the Daily Mail. The same figures prompt the Daily Mirror to call for more funding for early diagnosis and screening. And the Sun reports on its front page a "124mph crash" involving Top Gear's Freddie Flintoff. The ex-England cricketer was unhurt and the BBC says the incident was more of a lower-speed "spontaneous detour". 'Potty-mouthed politicians' Meanwhile, the Times reports on a study suggesting a dramatic increase in the use of profanities by US politicians since President Trump came to power. PR firm Govpredict says there's been a 10-fold increase in the number of swear words appearing in Congress members' tweets. The Times notes that that critics of the president have blamed him for coarsening the standard of debate in US politics.
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Boris Johnson claims he would ‘rather be dead in a ditch’ than negotiate Brexit extension
Boris Johnson has said he would "rather be dead in a ditch" than ask the EU for an extension to Brexit negotiations, but declined to say whether he would resign rather than do so.
The comments came on another disastrous day for the prime minister, as his own brother Jo walked out of his government in protest at his leadership.
In a move which one former Tory minister described as “absolutely devastating” for the PM’s credibility, higher education minister Jo Johnson - who has previously advocated a Final Say referendum on EU membership - said he had found it impossible to reconcile his loyalty to his brother with the national interest
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/brexit/boris-johnson-claims-he-would-rather-be-dead-in-a-ditch-than-negotiate-brexit-extension/ar-AAGRhle?ocid=spartanntp
Jo Johnson's resignation is reported on most of the front pages. "Johnson suffers fresh setback as brother quits government," is the headline in the Financial Times. The i goes with: "PM defiant as brother walks out".
The Daily Express leads with that defiance - its headline quotes Boris Johnson's words during his visit to Wakefield yesterday: "I'd rather be dead in a ditch than delay Brexit."
According to the leads in the Times and the Daily Telegraph, Labour plans to block a general election until the prime minister has secured an extension to the Brexit deadline.
The Telegraph says Labour and the SNP have agreed to withhold support for an election before 19 October - the date by which Mr Johnson will have to have secured a further Brexit extension.
The paper adds that some senior Labour figures want a delay until November so that Brexit will already have been extended by the time Britain goes to the polls.
The leader column in the Financial Times has a damning assessment of Labour's economic policies and warns that voters who may soon have to decide whether to back the party in an election should be in no doubt what they would be opting for.
It says Labour's agenda is untried and radical - with no precedent in Europe, beyond a rapidly aborted Swedish scheme.
It is a one-way bet, according to the paper. At worst, it says it would destroy investor confidence and usher in economic disaster. At best, it would be an expensive wasted opportunity to solve the country's problems.
There is frustration and dismay at England's performance in the fourth Ashes Test - on the day that the Australian batsman, Steve Smith, scored a double century.
The Mirror describes the team as flops and urges them to show real steel. For the Daily Mail, they have been flat, sloppy and shambolic - and a headline goes on to call them village idiots. England seem determined to hand the Ashes on a plate to Australia, the paper complains. The Sun says England need another Ben Stokes miracle to save the series.
Finally, could the Loch Ness Monster be a giant eel? It's a question many papers are asking this morning, after one of the largest scientific studies of the loch.
According to the Telegraph, scientists from New Zealand extracted DNA samples at different depths all over the loch, to find what lay underneath, and found a surprising amount of eel DNA.
They found no reptilian DNA , ruling out past theories of a Jurassic-era creature. That - says the "i" - is the slippery truth about the Loch Ness Monster.
Man who politely told Boris Johnson 'please leave my town' hailed as hero
After a day of chaos and humiliation, the Prime Minister shook the hand of a man on the street. And was very calmly told where to go
A man who politely told Boris Johnson "please leave my town" has been hailed as a hero online.
Johnson visited Leeds and Wakefield this afternoon, after a week of chaos and humiliation.
And the humiliation didn't stop when he did a walkabout, shaking hands with members of the public.
One man approached the PM, shaking his hand and smiling before very gently saying: "Please leave my town."
Johnson replied: "I will. Very soon."
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/man-who-politely-told-boris-19572574
Tory MP Caroline Spelman said she will stand down at the next election following months of abuse and death threats over Brexit.
Ms Spelman, 61, said she, her family and colleagues had been hit by a fierce "intensity of abuse arising out of Brexit".
Announcing her decision to quit after 22 years in parliament, the MP for Meriden said: "Quite frankly, we've had enough".
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/brexit/caroline-spelman-quits-tory-mp-to-stand-down-after-abuse-and-death-threats-which-left-her-wearing-panic-button/ar-AAGRsEx?ocid=spartanntp
The pound has rebounded after traders cheered the defeat of Boris Johnson in Parliament on Tuesday night as rebel MPs seek to block a no-deal Brexit.
Sterling jumped higher against the dollar and euro on Wednesday morning after Conservative rebels backed opposition parties to allow them to take control of business in the House in a bid to stop the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/pound-rebounds-johnson-defeated-brexit-074845977.html
The Times says Boris Johnson is being told to come up with a Plan B on Brexit, as opposition leaders say they will reject his call for a general election.
Government sources suggest cabinet ministers have demanded a "fundamental rethink" of his strategy.
The Guardian says it now appears unlikely Mr Johnson will succeed in his bid to force an election before 31 October, unless he takes the "nuclear option" of resigning.
The Sun believes the prime minister is prepared to step down and risk Labour getting into office, rather than delay Brexit.
It also reports that Downing Street advisers are in talks to try to find what they call a "third way" out of the deadlock.
The Daily Mail is scathing about the opposition pact to reject a new request for an election until Brexit is delayed, describing it as "the great election stitch-up".
It says its own poll suggests "half of voters want an early election".
The Financial Times says calls are growing for Mr Johnson to "rein in" his chief adviser, Dominic Cummings. The paper says he is "seen by some in Westminster as the real leader of the country".
'Total contempt'
A "Tory insider" reveals that Mr Cummings' strategy "is to scorch the earth, destroy what's in front of him with a mind to rebuilding something else".
And a former cabinet minister who was among the rebels purged from the party earlier this week condemns the move as that of someone with "total contempt for the party".
The Times has learned that the MPs who proposed legislation to block no-deal had received assurances from European leaders that they would approve a three-month extension to Brexit to try to break the deadlock.
It says the MPs have also "drawn up plans to take Boris Johnson to court if he follows through on his pledge not to put his name to an extension request".
David Gauke, who was expelled from the party this week, tells the Guardian Mr Johnson's divisive strategy risks creating a "Farage-lite party" that will alienate millions of traditional Tory voters and leave deep scars.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49616581
The Sunday Times leads on its interview with Amber Rudd in which she announces her resignation from the government and the Conservative party.
It says the intervention is all the more "explosive" because Ms Rudd was one of Boris Johnson's closest personal friends in the cabinet - but has now given a "withering" assessment of his conduct.
Many of the other papers consider how Boris Johnson will respond to the passing of a law, drafted by opposition MPs, compelling him to request a delay to Brexit he's been adamant he won't seek.
The Sun on Sunday reports the prime minister is "plotting" to get round it by "paralysing" EU decision-making, to "provoke them into kicking the UK out."
"The gloves are off", a senior Westminster source tells the paper.
The Sunday Telegraph suggests Mr Johnson could challenge the new law in the Supreme Court, with Dominic Cummings - the prime minister's chief aide - creating a "shadow" team of advisers to work on the plan.
A senior Whitehall source tells the paper Mr Johnson's allies will "take a chainsaw to anything in order to leave".
The Sunday Express publishes what it calls "a heartfelt appeal" from the prime minister to its readers.
He says he will give Jeremy Corbyn "one last chance" to agree to a general election - and if he refuses the government will "simply carry on".
That would be a very risky strategy, according to The Observer.
The paper has seen the advice given to Labour by a team of leading QCs, which concludes Mr Johnson would be declared in contempt of court if he ignores the law MPs have passed.
"Britain is a rule-of-law country, so he will comply or leave office," says one of the barristers. "All other talk is bluster."
Non-aggression pact
With an election likely looming, several of the papers explore potential alliances that might be struck.
The Sunday Times says rebel Tories expelled from the party in the past week are in negotiations with the Liberal Democrats about an electoral non-aggression pact.
Meanwhile, sources have told the Sunday Express that a deal between the Tories and the Brexit Party is "getting closer".
Writing in the New York Times, the columnist Jenny Russell focuses on the importance of the prime minister's chief aide, Dominic Cummings.
A "single-minded insurgent", he has deliberately created a confrontation with parliament so Mr Johnson can win an election as "the people's champion", she suggests
"One of the weakest links" in the plan, she says, is Mr Johnson, He "wants power accompanied by endless applause", but sources say he cried when his brother resigned last week.
According to the Sunday Mirror, Mr Cummings is "hated" by some "mutinous" Tory MPs.
It says a "furious delegation" is set to tell Boris Johnson this week he is "poisonous" and should be "booted out".
But the Sunday Telegraph, in its editorial, urges Conservative MPs to "hold their nerve".
Yes, Boris Johnson's axing of so many rebels was "brutal", it says, but "what choice did he have?"
He must "stay the course", it urges. The alternative approach under Theresa May won the party just 9% at the European elections, the paper recalls.
This is "a moment of great realignment" that will probably be "remembered for centuries to come", it suggests.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49624083
Tory rebel MP Sir Nicholas Soames, the grandson of Winston Churchill, says he wanted to kick Jacob Rees-Mogg "firmly in the ****"
Sacked Tory rebel MP Sir Nicholas Soames says Boris Johnson is "nothing like" his grandfather Sir Winston Churchill - and called Jacob Rees-Mogg an "absolute fraud".
Sir Nicholas, 71, tore into the Prime Minister and his right-hand man in a scathing interview as "unreliable" Mr Johnson's Brexit strategy lay in tatters.
The MP for 37 years said of the PM: "Boris Johnson is nothing like Winston Churchill.
"I don't think anyone has called Boris a diplomat or statesman.
"We all know the pluses and minuses, everyone he has worked for says the same thing: he writes beautifully [but he's] deeply unreliable."
And of Mr Rees-Mogg, he was even more unforgiving, telling the Times: "He is in serious danger of believing his own shtick.
"He is an absolute fraud, he is a living example of what a moderately cut double-breasted suit and a decent tie can do with an ultra-posh voice and a bit of ginger stuck up his ****."
Sir Nicholas blasted Mr Rees-Mogg after the Leader of the House was pictured slouching on the front bench like a sunbed as the Prime Minister suffered one of several humiliating defeats this week.
Churchill's grandson said it was "**** bad manners" and he wanted to kick him "firmly in the ****", saying the scene was "repulsive".
The Prime Minister, who was seven months old when Churchill died in January 1965, is said to model himself on the former prime minister and wrote a biography on the wartime hero, who was crowned the greatest Briton in a BBC poll in 2002.
Sir Nicholas, a former defence minister, said he can see no "helpful analogy" between the two leaders and Mr Johnson has not been acting like a statesman.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly lobbed childish insults at Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in a desperate bid to bully him into a snap general election.
He embraced his new reputation as a rebel, wearing skull-and-crossbones braces as he was interviewed because he is now "officially entitled to wear pirate gear".
But the MP for Mid Sussex admitted he was brought to tears when told that he and 20 other MPs had lost the Conservative whip for voting against the Government to push through legislation blocking a no-deal Brexit.
He said he has no regrets and he is worried about the direction of the party which is looking more and more like a "Brexit sect".
Sir Nicholas described Mr Johnson as Brexit-obsessed Prime Minister who has signed up to the "Trump playbook", knows he will not get a deal with the EU before the October 31 deadline and is eager for an election.
The consequences of it all could be disastrous for the Tories at the next election, he warned.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/boris-johnson-nothing-like-churchill-19732329
The Times suggests Boris Johnson has assured cabinet ministers that he will seek a further delay to Brexit from the EU if the courts order him to abide by legislation designed to block a no-deal exit.
The paper says the prime minister's "private climbdown" follows warnings by senior colleagues "that their positions would be untenable if he flouted a Supreme Court ruling ordering him to accept an extension".
BuzzFeed, however, publishes what appear to be leaked messages from a Conservative MPs' WhatsApp group, which show that some are "urging Boris Johnson to break the law" so he can deliver Brexit.
The website says two MPs suggested the prime minister should ignore the legislation.
It says they were warned by the Justice Secretary, Robert Buckland, that "the government observes the rule of law at all times and for all seasons".
The Daily Express columnist Leo McKinstry warns Mr Johnson that "a deal rather than judicial defiance" is needed.
"Ignoring the law is the stuff of despots and revolutionaries," he writes, adding that it would "make a mockery of a Brexit which is meant to bring back parliamentary sovereignty."
And anyone who harboured dreams of being a train driver could have their own private railway in Hampshire for £60,000.
There is one stipulation, according to the Times: as the new owner will be dealing with paying passengers, they must be "happy and cheerful"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49629815
Boris Johnson is reportedly ready to send a second letter to the EU - alongside the formal request for a three-month Brexit delay required of him by the Benn bill - explaining that he does not actually want any delay after 31 October.
Labour figures branded the scheme, first revealed in The Daily Telegraph, both “ridiculous” and illegal.
Charlie Falconer, the former Lord Chancellor, said any attempt to destroy the “statutory purpose” of the letter to Brussels requested of the PM would be to “break law”.
Labour’s shadow solicitor general Nick Thomas-Symonds said the idea of sending two conflicting letters was “monumentally ridiculous”.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-news-live-brexit-delay-no-deal-election-vote-prorogue-parliamen-a9097146.html
A red-eyed John Bercow appears on a number of Tuesday's front pages, photographed during his emotional resignation speech from the Speaker's Chair in the Commons.
Much like the MPs who heard it, only half of whom applauded, the commentators are divided. The Financial Times and the Guardian note Mr Bercow's role in empowering backbenchers and the Daily Mirror says history will be kinder than his enemies.
Ian Dunt, writing on Politics.co.uk, says Mr Bercow was the right man in the right place at the right time: an activist Speaker when the government worked actively to dismiss, degrade and eventually suspend Parliament.
But the Times calls Mr Bercow a polarising figure, while the the Daily Telegraph says he leaves a legacy of mistrust.
The Daily Mail's Richard Littlejohn dismisses the Speaker as "the partisan pipsqueak who disgraced his office". In the Sun's view, he's a "pompous windbag who embodies an illegitimate, anti-democratic establishment long overdue its reckoning".
The Daily Express prefers to focus on what it calls Boris Johnson's barnstorming Commons performance, in which he refused to ask the EU for a delay, and accused opposition MPs of "cowardice" for stalling a general election.
By contrast, Robert Shrimsley in the FT thinks Mr Johnson's increasingly shrill statements and briefings show all the attributes of a weak man trying to look strong. HuffPost UK's Paul Waugh describes him as a "zombie PM in a zombie Parliament".
'Pill popping nation'
In other news, the Daily Mail welcomes a promise of action by Health Secretary Matt Hancock to help patients addicted to prescription drugs.
The paper has been campaigning for greater recognition of the problem and it hails as a victory official recommendations for a national helpline and new guidelines for doctors.
The story is also the lead in the Sun, which says Britain has become "a nation of pill poppers"
'Honouring cronies'
Theresa May's resignation list is the main story for the Daily Mirror which accuses her of showering a host of blundering cronies with honours.
"Mrs May exploited the system to recognise the loyalty and devotion of her own officials," the paper says.
The Guardian returns to Whaley Bridge, the Derbyshire town that was threatened with disaster six weeks ago when a dam threatened to collapse, and finds it has become a "magnet for disaster tourists" including busloads of Chinese visitors keen to take photos of the reservoir.
Businesses are bustling and the local baker says she has been working around the clock since reopening after the evacuation. Some call it the Chernobyl effect, says the Guardian, only without the deadly radiation.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49643045
'There is another option - which is to bring back a deal and ensure a majority for it by attaching it to a referendum'
Expelled Tory heavyweight Oliver Letwin has thrown his weight behind a fresh Brexit referendum and told Boris Johnson it is his best escape route from the crisis.
The former cabinet minister said there was “an increasing number of Conservative and ex-Conservative” MPs now ready to deliver a majority for a further public vote, with parliament deadlocked.
Sir Oliver said the prime minister has demanded to “take it back to the people” – but argued the general election he craves would fail break the impasse.
“It’s pretty clear that there is a huge number of Labour MPs, Lib Dem MPs and SNP MPs who would vote for any reasonable deal subject to a referendum,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“I think there is now an increasing number of Conservative, and ex-Conservative, who would as well, so I think there is a majority there too.”
The former cabinet office minister acknowledged the prime minister had ruled it out, but added: “Boris has often changed his mind about many things – that’s one of his advantages that he is very flexible – so maybe he can.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-boris-johnson-latest-tory-oliver-letwin-no-deal-referendum-eu-a9098571.html
The i paper leads with news that restrictions on foreign students preventing them from staying in the UK to work following their graduation are to be relaxed.
The policy "marks a significant departure from the immigration clampdown enforced by Theresa May when she was home secretary and PM," the paper says.
Brexit solution?
The Daily Telegraph, meanwhile, asks on its front page whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson could solve the Brexit deadlock with a plan for a regulatory rather than a customs border in the Irish Sea.
The paper suggests the DUP has been receptive to the idea. Expectations are rising in Brussels, according to the Financial Times, that Boris Johnson is preparing to shift his position on a Northern Ireland-only backstop.
But the Guardian reports that the newly appointed EU trade commissioner, Phil Hogan, said that while the proposal of an "all-Ireland" customs zone offered some hope, it was "some distance from a Brexit solution".
The Times suggests a breakthrough is "just about plausible but very far from likely".
According to the Sun, Boris Johnson also faces questions of faith from the Eurosceptics within his party.
Mr Johnson is said to have told Tory rebels that he is ready for what he calls "spears in my back" from hard-line members of the pro-Brexit European Research Group if he softens his stance on the Irish backstop.
'Grudge evictions'
The Daily Express leads on its front page with a report that some care homes are being accused of evicting elderly patients after their families complained about their treatment.
It has obtained figures which suggest more than 2,000 people were forced out of their accommodation in so-called "grudge evictions" last year.
The Care Quality Commission told the Express that is aware of the problem, which it called "unacceptable."
Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror and the Daily Star report that ITV is investigating after an actor who stars in its long-running soap Emmerdale allegedly threatened a star of rival show Hollyoaks backstage at this week's TV Choice awards.
And finally
Among the things that Monty Python suggests we can thank the Romans for, it seems one may be about to struck off: the Baths.
According to the Times archaeologists in Hampshire have discovered brickwork at Silchester that suggests Iron Age man may have enjoyed a good soak in the tub well before the invasion of AD43.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49657568
Boris Johnson (left) yesterday predicted he was 'going to get a deal' as he revealed he would visit a string of European capitals. The move came as the EU's new trade commissioner Phil Hogan stoked speculation the Prime Minister is exploring moves that could leave Northern Ireland closely aligned to the EU while the rest of the UK makes a clean break. DUP leader Arlene Foster (right), who held talks with Mr Johnson in Number 10, last night said he had 'confirmed his rejection of a Northern Ireland-only backstop'. She warned any deal that did not have the support of both communities in the Province was 'doomed to failure'. However officials confirmed Mr Johnson is exploring potential compromise options. These include leaving Northern Ireland aligned with EU regulations on food and farming, potentially reducing border issues.
I think Boris is toast if he fails to meet his October deadline. As no deal appears to have been stopped. His only chance to meet the deadline will be to get a deal.
The direction of travel appears to be a NI only, backstop. Something that the EU suggested over 2 years ago.
This was rejected by Theresa May, who claimed that the Government priorities were dictated by the fact that they were the Conservative and Unionist Party.
It was also rejected out of hand by the DUP. They claimed they would not accept being treated differently to the rest of the UK. Hence the UK wide backstop.
The ERG expressed support for the DUP.
Maybe Boris feels that he no longer needs the DUP so much, and may well be considering a NI only backstop, and a Canada style free trade agreement.
Although it is unclear whether or not the ERG would support this, and the DUP certainly wouldn't.
He may get some support from Labour MPs, that are just happy to leave with any deal rather than no deal.
The Labour Party after 5 minutes of unity seem to have reverted to ambiguity, and disunity.
I think that Labours plan for their election campaign does not take account of whether or not Boris meets his deadline.
If he does Corbyn is toast, and the Labour Brexit campaign wont matter.
If he fails to meet the deadline, the ambiguity may go against them.
I think that if the election took place after not leaving in October, Boris may get away with blaming the opposition parties. The Tories, and the Brexit Party would attract the bulk of the leave vote.
An unclear Labour position may drive remain voters in the direction of the Lib Dems, as they have a very clear position.
Labour would be in a much stronger position if Tom Watson got his way, and there was a referendum prior to an election.
If Boris cant get a deal, he could be the shortest serving PM ever, and be ousted without even winning a single vote.
The court case regarding prorogation will not have helped him one bit.
Took a huge bung (funded by the taxpayer) to support the Government, when they made the difference. But still demanded more money.
They no longer make the difference. You can always rely on BoJo to do what he considers right for BoJo. Everything changed when he threw out the One Nation Tory wing, thus consigning 200 years of the Tory middle ground to the dustbin.
I think the border means that increased all-Ireland trade unity is inevitable. However, it throws up some interesting parallels if Scotland gains independence and manages to rejoin the EU-although I think the former is a lot more likely than the latter.
This is the interesting stuff. That and what stance Labour has after its next Conference. And who wins the next election-because I don't think it is going to be a Conservative majority.
He might of course, have been talking through his ar5e, as per usual.
The absolute biggest chance of a Tory majority is to meet the October deadline, by getting a deal through.
This would probably kill off the Brexit Party, hurt the Lib Dems.
I don't think it helps Labour much, as Boris is promising to spend money like it is going out of fashion.
An extension is likely to mean another hung Parliament.
The other option is of course, a no confidence vote, and a Government of National Unity, to take control for a short time, and resolve Brexit.
For this to happen, Corbyn would have to accept not being the leader of it.
The government's publication of the Yellowhammer contingency plan in the event of a no-deal Brexit makes many of Thursday's headlines.
The Daily Mail says the "secret papers" are "explosive". The Guardian highlights the response of the shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer who said it was irresponsible to have tried to ignore the warnings.
Stephen Bush from the New Statesman goes line by line through the document, intepreting its meaning. He suggests the authors feel an exit without agreement in October poses more risks than in March, in part due to the timing of the half-term holiday and in part due to the end of Britain's agricultural season.
The Sun suggests that Michael Gove has deepened the row with Parliament by refusing to provide the government's latest worst case assessment of a no-deal exit from the EU.
On its front page, the Times accuses the prime minister of defying MPs' orders to publish private messages on proroguing Parliament. The demand is reported to have been dismissed as "disproportionate."
The Daily Telegraph is among several papers to suggest that Mr Johnson has offered an "olive branch" to the 21 rebel MPs saying they can appeal against their expulsions from the party.
The paper suggests the Conservative leader could be about to reach a Brexit deal and needs all the Commons support he can get.
And the Scottish court ruling on the suspension of Parliament is the focus of several headlines, with the i declaring: "Queen dragged into 'unlawful' shutdown of Commons". The Daily Mirror boldly claims: "Boris lied to the Queen".
A day after the Brexit Party offered the Conservatives an electoral pact in a front cover advert on the Daily Express, the paper leads with Mr Johnson's refusal to engage in such a deal.
Cancer survival rates
The comparison of UK cancer survival rates with six countries is the front page story for the Daily Mail. The same figures prompt the Daily Mirror to call for more funding for early diagnosis and screening.
And the Sun reports on its front page a "124mph crash" involving Top Gear's Freddie Flintoff. The ex-England cricketer was unhurt and the BBC says the incident was more of a lower-speed "spontaneous detour".
'Potty-mouthed politicians'
Meanwhile, the Times reports on a study suggesting a dramatic increase in the use of profanities by US politicians since President Trump came to power.
PR firm Govpredict says there's been a 10-fold increase in the number of swear words appearing in Congress members' tweets.
The Times notes that that critics of the president have blamed him for coarsening the standard of debate in US politics.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49670459