Nicola Sturgeon lashed out at Boris Johnson today, accusing him of attempting a ‘subconscious powerplay’ at their first meeting after he became Prime Minister.
The Scottish First Minister said Mr Johnson made an ‘inappropriate’ move to usher her into Bute House when they sat down for talks last week.
The two leaders had a frosty face-to-face meeting at her official residence in Edinburgh, as Mr Johnson kicked off a Brexit row by defiantly telling her it was happening on October 31 whether she likes it or not.
He was booed by protesters on his way into Bute House before appearing to raise his arm behind Ms Sturgeon, who said something to him and waited for him to drop it before walking inside behind her guest.
‘I don’t think I said: ”Put your arm down”,’ she told the Guardian today.
‘Those kind of things happen in a flash. But I am aware that he was trying to do something that some people would describe as chivalrous and other people would say was a subconscious powerplay. I was kind of aware of him trying to usher me in.
Mr Johnson appeared to raise his arm behind Ms Sturgeon in a style she suggested was an attempt to usher her inside Bute House
But she is shown in the video from last week speaking to him, and he lowers his arm and goes inside ahead of her
‘And I think, in the instant, I thought: ”That’s inappropriate – you go in first.” But these things happen in a nanosecond. It wasn’t at all deliberate on my part.’
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab vows to ‘fire up’ ties on tour of Canada, US and Mexico
Dominic Raab vowed to ‘fire up’ trade ties outside the EU today as he launched a tour of Canada, the US and Mexico – but was immediately branded ‘deluded’ by a former White House adviser.
The Foreign Secretary is forging ahead with a diplomatic blitz designed to pave the way for post-Brexit deals around the world.
But Larry Summers, who served as US treasury secretary and economic adviser under Barack Obama, warned that the ‘desperate’ UK has ‘no leverage’ and should not expect generous terms.
Mr Raab is on his second major overseas trip since being appointed to the crucial post by Boris Johnson.
He will be in Toronto today before moving on to Washington tomorrow and Mexico City on Thursday.
Ahead of the trip he said: ‘I’m determined that we fire up our economic relationships with non-European partners.
‘That means working with them now to ensure a smooth transition of our trading arrangements after Brexit and means quickly moving to wide-ranging trade deals that boost business, lower prices for consumers and respect our high standards.’
Mr Johnson’s hardline Brexit approach last Monday sparked a furious response, with the First Minister accusing him of secretly wanting a No Deal Brexit instead of a deal with Brussels.
The less-than warm reception came after the premier promised to renew ‘the ties that bind our United Kingdom’ and unveiled plans to release £300million for ‘growth deals’.
Downing Street also suggested he dismissed her demand for a second Scottish independence referendum.
After the talks, a Number 10 spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister said he was a passionate believer in the power of the Union and he would work tirelessly to strengthen the United Kingdom and improve the lives of people right across Scotland.
‘On Brexit, (he) said that while the government’s preference is to negotiate a new deal which abolishes the anti-democratic backstop, the UK will be leaving the EU on October 31st come what may.’
Mrs Sturgeon hit back by accusing Mr Johnson of wanting a No Deal Brexit and said his Government was ‘dangerous’ .
‘He says publicly – and he said it to me again today – that he wants a deal with the EU, but there is no clarity whatsoever about how he thinks he can get from the position now where he’s taking a very hard line – the Withdrawal Agreement is dead, the backstop is dead,’ she said.
‘If I listen to all of that and listen to what’s not being said as well as what is being said, I think that this is a Government that is pursuing a no-deal strategy, however much they may deny that in public.’
Ms Sturgeon said she ‘abhors’ what Mr Johnson is doing, adding: ‘So I don’t think it will be surprising to anyone to hear me say that I wasn’t absolutely thrilled to be welcoming Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.’
The two leaders has a frosty meeting at Bute House, in which they clashed over the Prime minister’s Brexit strategy
Last night Nicola Sturgeon gloated over a shock poll showing Scots would vote for independence amid Boris Johnson‘s hardline Brexit stance.
The SNP leader said the case for breaking up the UK was ‘stronger every day’ after the research found 52 per cent would support the move.
It is the first time in more than two years that a survey has shown a majority in favour of independence.
The result will fuel fears that Mr Johnson’s ‘do or die’ pledge to deliver Brexit by the end of October could put the union at risk.
The Tory leader north of the border, Ruth Davidson, has also been highly critical of his willingness to force No Deal if necessary.
The poll by Conservative Lord Ashcroft found independence had a lead of 52 per cent to 48 per cent among Scots, excluding those who said they did not know or would not vote
In the poll conducted by Lord Ashcroft, Scots were asked whether they wanted a referendum and how they would vote.
The research found 47 per cent believed a new national vote should be held, against 45 per cent who said no.
Some 46 per cent of the 1,019 people quizzed said they would vote to break up the UK in a referendum, while 43 per cent were against.
Excluding those who said they did not know or would not vote gave a lead of 52 per cent to 48 per cent for independence.
It is the first time nationalists have been ahead in a major poll since March 2019.
Queen must SACK Boris Johnson if he clings on after losing Commons confidence vote on No Deal, Remainers warn amid claims the PM could delay election by a MONTH past Brexit date
Remainers today warned the Queen will have to sack Boris Johnson if he refuses to quit after losing a Commons confidence vote over No Deal Brexit.
Allies of the PM have made clear he will simply refuse to resign if rebel Tories join forces with Labour, the SNP, the Lib Dems and independents to pass a no confidence motion.
Instead of going quietly, Mr Johnson would wait for an election to be triggered and use his executive powers to set the date of an election for after the Brexit date of October 31, so MPs cannot stop the process.
Pro-EU MPs admitted that a legal loophole could allow Mr Johnson to postpone the election date by at least a month – potentially pushing it to late November.
But one senior source told MailOnline the monarch would have to intervene before then if Mr Johnson was playing ‘childish games’ with the constitution.
‘We have an unwritten constitution but there are well established conventions,’ the MP said. ‘Convention number one is that a PM does not or cannot hold office without the consent of the House of Commons.’
If Mr Johnson tried to ‘bury himself’ in Downing Street and tried to stop a new government taking over, the monarch would step in despite the risks of getting embroiled in politics, the Remainer source said.
‘The Queen would write him a letter saying he is dismissed,’ they insisted. ‘She would have to sack him. Of course she would.’
Former Supreme Court Judge Lord Sumption told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the PM did have ‘discretion’ on setting election dates.
‘It is not an unlimited discretion, but I cannot see how the courts could say the PM was not entitled to take political risks into consideration,’ he said.
Allies say Boris Johnson (pictured left with Estonian PM Juri Ratas at No10 today) would refuse to quit No 10 if he lost a confidence vote in the Commons and will instead force through a No Deal Brexit, it has emerged
The Queen (left) could have to become involved if Mr Johnson refused to accept a No Confidence vote. Dominic Cummings (pictured right at No10 yesterday) is said to have ‘laughed’ at the suggestion Mr Johnson would be forced to quit
Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, the PM has significant discretion on the election date even if they have failed to secure the confidence of the Commons
Labour is already plotting to join forces with Tory rebels to try to collapse the Government and replace Mr Johnson as Prime Minister if he pursues a No Deal departure from the European Union on October 31.
How could a Brexit constitutional crisis play out?
When Parliament returns from its summer recess on September 3, Labour is expected to team up with Tory rebels to force a confidence vote.
With the government’s majority on a knife edge and strong opposition to No Deal across parties, there is a serious prospect that Boris Johnson could lose.
However, the PM’s adviser Dominic Cummings has made clear he would simply refused to resign.
Under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act (FTPA), losing a confidence motion triggers a 14 day countdown to an election being called.
During that period, it is possible for a PM to win a confidence vote and prevent the country going to the polls.
However, the legislation is silent on whether the same premier can return to try again.
Remainer MPs insist Mr Johnson would have to quit, suggesting an all-party administration led by a consensus figure – potentially Labour veteran Margaret Beckett – could take over to delay the Brexit process.
They are adamant that if the premier refused to go quietly the Queen would be forced to sack him.
Whether an anti-No Deal alliance could muster the numbers to install a PM is highly dubious.
A further loophole in the FTPA gives the premier huge discretion on the timing of an election if one is triggered.
The Queen names the date based on recommendation from the PM, but the act does not give any time frame he must work inside.
Pro-EU MPs admit Mr Johnson could legally extend the schedule by at least a month – taking it well beyond the Halloween Brexit deadline.
However, that would set the stage for a massive constitutional showdown, with the civil service under pressure to maintain the ‘status quo’.
But allies say Mr Johnson would stay in office even if he lost a confidence vote – and trigger a general election to take place after the Brexit date so the UK would leave the EU automatically during the campaign.
Constitutional experts said Mr Johnson is not legally compelled to leave No 10 even if the Commons passes a no confidence motion.
However, if he did refuse to follow ‘constitutional precedent’ it would spark a crisis that could drag the Queen into Brexit politics.
Details of Downing Street’s approach emerged from comments made by his senior aide, Dominic Cummings, who is said to have ‘laughed’ at the idea that his boss would walk away in response to a confidence vote.
Yesterday the PM’s spokesman said the UK will leave the EU on October 31 by ‘any means necessary’.
But aides are braced for rebel Tory MPs, led by former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, to try ‘every trick in the book’ to stop No Deal when they return in September.
The nuclear option is to order a confidence vote under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act.
Last night Mr Corbyn gave his clearest signal yet he would make this move in September, saying the motion would be tabled at an ‘appropriate very early time’.
Mr Grieve is said to believe that if he can win the vote, Mr Johnson would be forced to leave office. MPs could then install a prime minister who would extend Article 50, preventing No Deal. However, when this proposition was put to Mr Cummings – the mastermind behind the Vote Leave campaign – he is said to have laughed.
‘Someone put Grieve’s idea to Cummings that if we lose a vote of no confidence the PM will have to resign. He spat out his drink laughing,’ a senior No 10 official told the Financial Times.
Catherine Haddon, a senior fellow at the Institute For Government think-tank, said Mr Grieve’s plan relied on Mr Johnson resigning if he lost a no confidence vote. She added: ‘But it isn’t a legally binding requirement of the Act that he step down.
‘If Parliament passed a motion saying we have no confidence in the Prime Minister and we wish a government to be formed under whoever, that would put the Queen under enormous pressure to say, ‘I think you should resign because the Commons has confidence in another individual.’ But the Queen wants to stay out of politics, so she wouldn’t want to do that.’
Downing Street said Mr Johnson (pictured at No10 today) would take the UK out of the EU by the end of October in ‘all circumstances’
Asked about the issue, a senior Downing Street source said: ‘This Government will use any means necessary to deliver Brexit on October 31.’
Speaking on a visit to Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire, which is set to benefit from the £1.8billion NHS funding boost, Mr Johnson was asked if he was preparing to fight an election.
He said: ‘The answer is no. The people of the UK voted in the election in 2015, they had a referendum in 2016 and another election in 2017. They want us to deliver what they asked for – and that is for us to leave the EU. The last thing I want to do is call another election.’
