More than 50 MPs have called on colleagues across the House to sit at an alternative Parliament if it is suspended by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson in September. 

The cross-party group of MPs signed the letter from campaign group Best for Britain, which was published in the Guardian.

Those to sign the letter include Liberal Democrats leader Jo Swinson, Independent MP Heidi Allen, Green MP Caroline Lucas and Conservative MP Guto Bebb, as well as representatives from all the major Westminster parties including the SNP, Plaid Cymru and The Independent Group for Change.

The letter states, “We cannot allow the Government to avoid scrutiny at this time of national crisis.”

It calls for MPs “to sit at an alternative Parliament to continue holding the government to account and fight this most damaging Brexit”

Commenting, Best for Britain chief executive Naomi Smith said:

“The Commons is an assembly of people sent by their constituents as representatives.

“If Boris Johnson succeeds in this unconstitutional coup and locks the doors of the Palace of Westminster at this crucial time, that assembly should make its voice heard by coming together elsewhere.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

Best for Britain is committed to stopping Brexit through any democratic means. We campaign for the public to have a final say on Brexit, with the option to remain.

Letter text

IN less than two months Britain could crash out of the European Union without a deal. Those who voted to leave in 2016 were promised a negotiated deal by the Vote Leave campaign.

The Prime Minister has now announced that he will prorogue Parliament in a bid to get a no-deal Brexit through. Such an unconstitutional coup risks compromising people’s jobs, security and living standards, not to mention the Good Friday Agreement. Now Boris Johnson is jeopardising all this for the sake of his own personal polling.

It is clear that this has been done to stop MPs debating Brexit at our country’s most constitutionally charged time in recent history. We cannot allow the Government to avoid scrutiny at this time of national crisis.

We call for MPs to sit at an alternative Parliament to continue holding the government to account and fight this most damaging Brexit.

Signatories

Heidi Allen MP Independent, Hannah Bardell MP SNP, Guto Bebb MP Conservative, Luciana Berger MP Independent, Tom Brake MP Liberal Democrats, Karen Buck MP Labour, Vince Cable MP Liberal Democrats, Alistair Carmichael MP Liberal Democrats, Janet Daby MP Labour, Edward Davey MP Liberal Democrats, Geraint Davies MP Labour, Jane Dodds MP Liberal Democrats, David Drew MP Labour, Rosie Duffield MP Labour, Jonathan Edwards MP Plaid Cymru, Paul Farrelly MP Labour, Tim Farron MP Liberal Democrats, Lisa Forbes MP Labour, Mike Gapes MP The Independent Group for Change, Stephen Gethins MP SNP, Christine Jardine MP Liberal Democrats, Ged Killen MP Labour, Peter Kyle MP Labour, Ben Lake MP Plaid Cymru, David Lammy MP Labour, Caroline Lucas MP Green, Seema Malhotra MP Labour, Sandy Martin MP Labour, Rachael Maskell MP Labour, Siobhain McDonagh MP Labour, Anna McMorrin MP Labour, Layla Moran MP Liberal Democrats, Stephen Morgan MP Labour, Ian Murray MP Labour, Kate Osamor MP Labour, Lloyd Russell-Moyle MP Labour, Antoinette Sandbach MP Conservative, Liz Saville-Roberts MP Plaid Cymru, Virendra Sharma MP Labour, Tulip Siddiq MP Labour, Andy Slaughter MP Labour, Angela Smith MP Independent, Alex Sobel MP Labour, Christopher Stephens MP SNP, Jo Stevens MP Labour, Paul Sweeney MP Labour, Jo Swinson MP Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Gareth Thomas MP Labour, Chuka Umunna MP Liberal Democrats, Catherine West MP Labour, Martin Whitfield MP Labour, Hywel Williams MP Plaid Cymru, Paul Williams MP Labour, Jackie Baillie MSP Labour, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP Liberal Democrat, Ross Greer MSP Scottish Greens, Patrick Harvie MSP Scottish Greens, Daniel Johnson MSP Labour, Rory Palmer MEP Labour, Adam Price AM Leader of Plaid Cymru, Anas Sarwar MSP Labour, Alyn Smith MEP SNP