Brexit: Boris Johnson’s claim to represent people v parliament is absurd, says Corbyn – live news
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Today’s cabinet sounds as if it was the first meeting of the committee drafting the next Conservative manifesto.
Brexit was discussed. Boris Johnson briefed colleagues on his “constructive discussions” with Leo Varadkar yesterday, the prime minister’s spokesman told journalists at the lobby briefing. But the spokesman said there was also a substantial discussion on domestic policy, with ministers saying what their plans were for their own departments.
The prime minister then led a discussion on the government’s priorities for the autumn. The PM said he would lead a one nation government which would respect the result of the referendum by leaving the European Union on October 31 while energetically focusing on the NHS, tackling violent crime, education and the cost of living.
Secretaries of state then set out priorities for their individual departments.
Tony Blair, the former Labour prime minister, has said it would be wrong to use the general election to try to resolve the Brexit crisis. A referendum was needed for that, he argued, because an election should be fought on wider issues. Speaking at an event at King’s College London, he said:
It is wrong as a matter of principle to mix the general election up with the specific Brexit question.
If the British people end up having a general election on Brexit you are going to mix up issues that should be kept separate.