Alastair Campbell has predicted an imminent general election after Boris Johnson announced plans to suspend parliament for a critical five-week period in the run-up to Brexit. He warned that the public will punish Boris Johnson for proroguing parliament in an attempt to drive through Brexit “at any cost”. The former Labour Party advisor told Sky News that Remainers had to scramble together a strategy in a last-ditch effort to stop a no deal Brexit. 

He said: “I think this is a manoeuvre driven by weakness rather than strength

“Boris is treating the Parliament, and therefore the public, with complete contempt. I think it will backfire on him.

“He doesn’t have a mandate for no deal, and he doesn’t have a plan for a new deal. His plan now is to drive this through Parliament.”

“I think he wants an election. I think the county will be very sassy about an election and they will make him pay a price.”

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He urged Remainers to stand up against Boris Johnson, demanding Tory rebels get off the fence in a vote of no-confidence.

Mr Campbell said: “I think what he is trying to do is give the MPs some difficult choices and they have to rise to it.

“It is not that long ago that Matt Hancock, Nicky Morgan, were all saying that they wouldn’t stand for proroguing parliament, that it was a step too far.

“These MPs have to stand up. Where it may backfire is that some of those MPs who were going to wait and see have now seen that Boris will do anything, even dragging the Queen into it, to get his way.

“I hope they will be emboldened. They have got to stand up and answer those questions.”

Mr Campbell’s remarks come as cross-party rebel Remainer MPs prepare for a showdown with Boris Johnson next week.

Rebel Tories and opposition MPs took part in a series of conference calls on today in a last-ditch effort to prevent a no deal outcome.

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The cross-party rebel alliance agreed to focus on fast-tracking legislation aimed at mandating the prime minister to request an extension to Article 50 if he fails to strike a new Brexit deal by mid-October.

Mr Johnson’s surprise decision provoked widespread fury, with Commons Speaker John Bercow describing it as a “constitutional outrage”.

Robert Kerslake, the former head of the civil service, said Whitehall would have to think carefully about whether to put ministers’ instructions into effect.

He said: “We are reaching the point where the civil service must consider putting its stewardship of the country ahead of service to the government of the day.”

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