Daily Mirror - 30.08.2019

DM1ST

(^8) DAILY MIRROR FRIDAY 30.08.

SO... IT

IS ALL

ABOUT

BREXIT

MINISTER’S GAFFE GIVES

BY BEN GLAZE Deputy Political Editor, MIKEY

SMITH and NICOLA BARTLETT

what is known as a Standing Order section 24

debate. We will seek to try and put through the

appropriate legislation in this constrained time-

table that the Government has put before us.”

No10 said negotiations with Brussels would

intensify. The UK and EU are deadlocked over

the Irish Backstop, designed to prevent a hard

border between Northern Ireland and the

Republic. Mr Johnson said: “It is now time for

both sides to step up the tempo. 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.”

The pro-Jeremy Corbyn group Momentum

threatened to “shut down the streets” over

summer break on Tuesday. Expected to

be backed by Speaker John Bercow,

it could allow MPs and peers to

railroad through laws to block a

no-deal Brexit. Shadow Trade

Secretary Barry Gardiner

admitted it would be a struggle.

He told the BBC: “It is going to

be extremely difficult, that’s why

the Government is disingenuous to

say this is not about trying to stop

us doing that. We will be

seeking measures on

Monday to try

and have

November. And Mr McDonnell – who

spoke while Labour leader Jeremy

Corbyn started a tour of Scottish

constituencies – also accused the PM of

“treating us like serfs”.

He added: “No10 has become like the

Bullingdon Club where they’ve become

capable of smashing the whole system.”

aimed not at rising to meet what is

needed to invest in our public services

but what will garner the greatest short-

term electoral advantage.”

He said Chancellor Sajid Javid’s

decision to bring forward his spending

round to next Wednesday was a sign a

general election is likely in October or

McDonnell slams Tory spending ‘stunts’

ANGER McDonnell yesterday

SHADOW Chancellor John McDonnell

has dismissed Boris Johnson’s spending

vows as “electioneering stunts”.

The PM has pledged an extra 20,

police by 2022, 10,000 new prison

places and more cash for schools.

But Mr McDonnell said: “They are

charades based on opinion poll politics,

VOICE OF THE

Playground

cuts deadly

THE closure of children’s playgrounds
illustrates the expensive human cost of
Tory austerity which is both short-sighted
and potentially deadly in the long run.
When one in five of our kids is dangerously
obese, the loss of 347 playgrounds since 2014
in England alone is a self-defeating Conserva-
tive ideology recklessly gambling with lives.
No single answer exists to reverse the obesity
epidemic but encouraging the young to be
physically active is – as the vast majority of
parents know – part of the solution.
So closing the areas where mums, dads and
carers take children to have fun is a dead-end
policy which Labour would urgently reverse.
Year after year of cuts to local authority
budgets, sucking billions of pounds out of
communities, was always a political move
rather than an economic necessity.
Housing, schools, social work, libraries,
refuse collections and any town hall service
you care to mention is hit hard by austerity.
Playgrounds didn’t escape the Tory axe and
it is scandalous our children are the victims.

BoJo’s new low

BLURTING out the truth in serial liar
Boris Johnson’s government is a heinous
offence, as the Defence Secretary knows.

Ben Wallace effectively admitted No10 is
suspending Parliament through fear of MPs
saving Britain from a catastrophic no-deal
Brexit. And in carpeting him for it, the PM
confirms he is running an illegitimate regime.
Nobody believed his guff about sidelining
Parliament but for Downing St to claim an
honest Minister “misspoke” is low – even for
a stranger to the truth like Johnson.
We want trust in politics restored, not
destroyed totally by dishonest Boris Johnson.

Inspiring Peter

HOW inspiring of bricklayer Peter Coghlan
to help the sick and injured rebuild their
lives after he escaped complete paralysis.
The first victim of locked-in syndrome to
walk out of hospital, Peter assisting them to
follow in his footsteps is the way forward.

DEFENCE Secretary Ben Wallace acciden-

tally blurted out that Brexit IS the real

reason Boris Johnson is suspending Parlia-

ment, prompting a slapdown from No10.

Mr Wallace let slip that forcing through an EU

withdrawal was behind the decision to prorogue

Parliament in comments caught on video

during a meeting in Helsinki.

However No10 yesterday insisted the former

Army officer “misspoke”.

Chuckling as he spoke to French armed forces

minister Florence Parly, Mr Wallace said: “We’ve

suddenly found ourselves with no majority and

a coalition, and that’s not easy for our system.

“Parliament has been very good at saying

what it doesn’t want, but it has been awful at

saying what it wants. That’s the reality.

“So, you know, eventually any leader has to,

you know, try. I don’t know what the outcome

of it... You know, politics.”

Mr Johnson has caused uproar by asking the

Queen to suspend

Parliament for

almost five weeks

in the run-up to

Britain’s scheduled

exit from the EU on

October 31.

He has denied

trying to stop MPs

thwarting a

no-deal, claiming

he merely wanted

to outline his

policy agenda in a

Queen’s Speech. A No10 source said Mr Wallace

“misspoke” and “was not involved in talks about

the Queen’s Speech”.

But Naomi Smith, of the anti-Brexit Best for

Britain campaign, said: “Of course the Prime

Minister’s decision to suspend Parliament and

our democracy was motivated by Brexit.”

The Independent Group for Change MP Chris

Leslie tweeted: “The shabby pretence that

closing Parliament is anything other

than a device to thwart majority of

MPs makes this constitutional

abuse more insulting. If they’re

going to use authoritarian powers,

at least be honest about why!”

MPs are now in a race against

time to foil a no-deal departure.

They could have just four days

next week to pass a law stopping

Mr Johnson from pulling the UK out

of the EU with no deal.

Labour wants to stage an

emergency debate

once MPs return

from the

TRUTH OUT

Mr Johnson’s

motive is clear

SUPPORT Speaker Bercow may allow a debate

Some of them

are this big..

Rumbled on TV... but No 10 says he ‘misspoke’

OUTRAGE Mirror yesterday

TORY WHOPPERS