Hammond in no deal warning to Johnson, Hunt

UK finance minister Philip Hammond on Friday said it would be “shocking” if parliament was prevented from blocking a no-deal Brexit.

In a stark warning to Tory leadership contenders Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt, Hammond said parliament had “been clear already that it does not support a no-deal exit”.

“That is my position and as a backbencher I will continue to argue against a no deal exit,” he told the BBC.

Hammond expects to be sacked by whoever becomes leader because of his pro-EU stance.

Johnson has pledged to take the UK out on October 31 “do or die” and even flagged the possibility of suspending parliament to stop it thwarting his plans.

Hunt, meanwhile, said the collapse of businesses in the event of a no-deal departure would be a price worth paying to honour the referendum result.

“Let me quote the (House of Commons) speaker, who has said if the Commons is determined to do something, he’s quite sure it will find a way,” Hammond said.

“I am quite confident that the House of Commons will find a way — and indeed should be able to find a way, because this is a parliamentary democracy, and it would be frankly rather shocking if the House of Commons, the elected representatives of the people, could be simply sidelined.”