Boris Johnson to welcome his 109 new Tory MPs to House of Commons in private speech

Bronwen Weatherby15 December 2019
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Boris Johnson is to kick start his first week back in the House of Commons as Prime Minister by welcoming his new intake of Tory MPs as they prepare to vote on his Brexit deal.

The PM intends to address the 109 freshly elected colleagues - many of them having won seats in former Labour areas across the north and Midlands - in a private speech on Monday.

Mr Johnson plans to use his 80-strong majority gained in the December election to pass his Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) so the UK can formally leave the European Union by the end of January.

He has pledged to bring the Bill back before the Commons before Christmas, but it is not yet known when MPs will begin voting on it.

A Number 10 source said: “This election and the new generation of MPs that have resulted from Labour towns turning blue will help change our politics for the better.

General Election Night: December 2019 - In pictures

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"he PM has been very clear that we have a responsibility to deliver a better future for our country and that we must repay the public’s trust by getting Brexit done.

“That’s why the first piece of legislation new MPs will vote on will be the Withdrawal Agreement Bill.”

It is expected to be an eventful week in Westminster, with a Government reshuffle on the cards and the swearing-in of MPs to begin on Tuesday.

The Queen will formally open Parliament on Thursday when she sets out the Government’s legislative programme during a slimmed-down State Opening.

Approving the Wab will not mean the Brexit saga is over. The UK will remain in the EU until at least the end of 2020 during the implementation period.

Mr Johnson says WAB is first on the agenda this week
PRU/AFP via Getty Images

This time will be used by Brussels and London to hammer out a trade deal and decide on their future relationship on subjects such as security.

But EU figures have been highly sceptical this can be sorted within the year, with chief negotiator Michel Barnier saying the timetable was “unrealistic” in leaked comments.

Senior Cabinet member Michael Gove, who is the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, tried to dismiss these fears.

He told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday he is “confident” the agreement could be finalised by the deadline because “quite a lot of the details” are agreed in the Political Declaration agreed with the EU.

Mr Johnson is not the only leader who will be welcoming a new intake of MPs on Monday, with the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford expected to meet his new colleagues.

The SNP will prove a challenge for the Prime Minister as the party pushes for a second Scottish independence referendum
AFP via Getty Images

This will demonstrate one of the greatest problems the PM is expected to face – Nicola Sturgeon’s party will be making intensifying demands for a fresh Scottish independence referendum.

Scotland largely voted against Brexit and the SNP increased its share of Scottish seats in the Commons to 47 out of a total of 59 in Thursday’s General Election.

Another pro-independence MP, Neale Hanvey, took the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath seat but is currently suspended by the party over allegations of anti-Semitism.

He will sit as an independent MP until a disciplinary process is completed

Ms Sturgeon insisted the Tories were “raging against reality” by blocking another independence vote as she vowed to “pursue the plan I won a mandate for”.

But Mr Gove said the Conservatives would “absolutely” not hold another public vote on the matter during the course of the Parliament, regardless of the result of the 2021 Holyrood election.

Labour should also have a busy week as the party seeks to replace Jeremy Corbyn as leader after suffering its worst General Election result since 1935.

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