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    Philip Hammond says he will quit as chancellor if Boris Johnson becomes prime minister, saying he would not hang on to be sacked. I intend to resign after prime minister's questions [on Wednesday], before the prime minister goes to the Palace, he said. The chancellor a staunch opponent of a no-deal Brexit also vowed to help lead the Commons campaign to block it, from the backbenches, and predicted success. I am confident that parliament does have a way of preventing a no-deal exit on 31 without parliamentary consent, he told the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme. I intend to work with others to ensure parliament uses its power to make sure the new government can’t do that, Mr Hammond threatened. Mr Johnson, the near-certain next prime minister, has vowed a do or die Br...

  Senior Conservative MPs are reportedly plotting to ask the Queen to travel to Brussels and request a Brexit extension. Under the plan, the Queen would be enlisted to prevent a no-deal Brexit. It is the latest attempt by British politicians to involve the monarch in Britain's Brexit crisis. However, constitutional experts say it would be extraordinary to involve the Queen in this way. Constitutional expert Dr Ruth Fox told Business Insider "The idea that [the Queen] should be brought into the heart of the political maelstrom around Brexit because the MPs themselves cannot resolve this situation politically within the House would be ridiculous." It was reported this week that senior Conservatives who oppose a no-deal Brexit are so concerned the next prime m...

    Labour MP Gloria De Piero has announced she will not stand at the next general election as she criticised the party’s lack of tolerance. The shadow justice minister has spent more than nine years representing the Ashfield constituency but told local members that she did not know if she could give them the commitment you deserve for what could be a further eight years. In comments carried on her website, the MP said a lack of tolerance for different viewpoints in the Labour Party frankly worries me. We have to have respect for each other, even if we disagree, because we are all part of this party, she added. This party is about a set of values not any individual and we would all do well to remember that. And while I’m at it, and it doesn’t happen in Ashfield, but ...

    Sadiq Khan will demand an overhaul of tenancy laws in a campaign for London rent controls that is set to be the cornerstone of his 2020 re-election campaign. The London mayor has said he intends to introduce a London private rent commission, with a board that would include current renters, to enforce measures to reduce rents and keep them at lower levels, but he currently lacks the legal power to do so. Khan’s demand is unlikely to be viewed sympathetically by the Conservative government, but the mayor will launch a report at City Hall on Friday setting out the new powers he would require and a blueprint for the overhaul of the rental sector. The report says the mayor is seeking devolved powers in order to: Establish a universal register of landlords to acce...

    Former cabinet ministers could be among those who feel they have no choice but to vote down a Boris Johnson administration in order to prevent a no-deal Brexit, Dominic Grieve has said. The former attorney general said it was significant that both Johnson and his rival, Jeremy Hunt, had rejected any prospect of compromise on the backstop at a Sun leadership hustings on Monday night. Johnson and Hunt declared the Northern Ireland backstop “dead” and ruled out trying to tweak it, saying it was no good to have a time limit on the backstop or a way of the UK exiting it unilaterally – even though Eurosceptics had previously indicated they could vote for such compromises. Grieve said the tough stance was not surprising but signalled that no deal was more likely. “I thin...

    Boris Johnson plans to strike an immediate trade deal with Trump after Britain leaves the EU on October 31. Sources close to Johnson say he would travel to the US soon after becoming prime minister to strike a limited deal. However, the UK's International Trade Secretary warns that doing so would break the law. The UK is forbidden from entering international trade negotiations while still an EU member. Boris Johnson's plans to strike an immediate Brexit trade deal with Donald Trump are in "breach of European law," with a US deal likely to take years to complete, the UK's international Trade Secretary has warned. The Times reported on Monday that the frontrunner to replace Theresa May as prime minister, plans to negotiate a deal with the US prior to Br...

    England were wrongly awarded an extra run in their Cricket World Cup final victory over New Zealand, according to a former international umpire, on their way to a dramatic super-over win at Lord’s. In the final over of regular play, Ben Stokes inadvertently deflected the ball off his bat to the boundary rope as he dived to reach the crease, turning what would have been two runs into six and playing a crucial role in equalling New Zealand’s total to force a super-over. But the well-renowned former international umpire Simon Taufel says the on-field umpires made a “clear mistake” in awarding England six runs, rather than the correct figure of five, as the batsmen had not yet crossed when the ball was thrown. It also meant that England’s best batsman, Stokes, retained ...

    Queen Elizabeth has travelled all over the globe during her reign. She is now the UK’s best-travelled monarch and has dined in some of the most exotic corners of the Earth, The monarch has visited numerous world leaders, and sampled countless different countries culinary specialities. Many people may wonder what the Queen likes to eat - and whether her favourite fare is taken into account on menus abroad. However, a royal insider has revealed that there’s one piece of information the Queen will never share,  writes the Express . Queen Elizabeth has never divulged what her favourite food is - and for a very clever reason. The monarch fears that if she reveals her meal of choice, those hosting her will serve nothing else when she visits. Gordon Rayner, former roya...