Jeremy Corbyn asks cabinet secretary to block enforced no-deal

Jeremy Corbyn has asked the UK's most senior civil servant to intervene to prevent a no-deal Brexit during a general election campaign.

Amid mounting fears that Downing Street is preparing to deliver Johnson’s “do or die” pledge to deliver Brexit on 31 October by any means necessary, Corybn has written to Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill with his concerns.

The Labour leader writes: “Forcing through no deal against a decision of parliament, and denying the choice to the voters in a general election already underway, would be an unprecedented, unconstitutional and anti-democratic abuse of power by a prime minister elected, not by the public, but by a small number of unrepresentative Conservative party members.”

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He continues: “I am therefore writing to seek your urgent clarification on the proper application of ‘purdah’ rules in such a scenario and the constitutional implications of failing to abide by those rules.”

The Guardian says the letter shows that the Labour leader believes Johnson is “plotting an abuse of power to force no-deal Brexit.”

According to The Independent’s Sean O’Grady, Labour is “playing a shrewd game in dragging the civil service” into the “argument”.

In the letter, Corbyn clarifies his party’s position, saying: “A Labour government will never support a no-deal exit, so would of course want the opportunity to take a different view.”

He adds: “I would therefore be grateful for your confirmation that if the UK is due to leave the EU without a deal during a general election campaign, the government should seek a time-limited extension to Article 50 to let the electorate decide and the incoming government to take the next steps on the basis of the voters’ wishes.”

Speculation is building over the prime minister’s plans. During a visit to Oxfordshire yesterday, Johnson dodged reporters’ questions on whether he would quit if he lost a confidence vote.

Quizzed on the matter, he said: “We are going to leave the EU on 31 October, which is what the people of this country voted for, it’s what MPs voted for, and that’s what I think parliamentarians of this country should get on and do.

“I think that MPs should get on and deliver on what they have promised over and over and over again to the people of this country, they will deliver on the mandate of 2016 and leave the EU on 31 October.”