British PM faces pressure to recall Parliament

Britain's Labour Party warned it is "more important than ever" that Parliament be recalled after the government published its no-deal Brexit assessment that confirmed there are "severe risks" for crashing out of the European Union. 

Labour, the Scottish National Party and Liberal Democrats all demanded an urgent recall of Parliament to allow scrutiny of the government's Brexit plans, after Scottish appeal court judges ruled against Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament in the run-up to the Oct 31 Brexit deadline.

A government appeal against the ruling will be heard by the United Kingdom's supreme court on Tuesday. Downing Street has said it was not under any obligation to bring Parliament back into session following the Scottish ruling but added that it would be bound by the judgment of the supreme court. "As a matter of fact, Parliament remains prorogued," a government spokesman said.

Johnson had been forced by members of Parliament to release the Operation Yellowhammer assessment document before Parliament was suspended on Tuesday. It reveals that leaving the EU without a deal could trigger medical shortages, food and transport price rises, major cross-channel trade delays and public disorder.

MPs involved in the Scottish court action attempted to intensify pressure on the government to reconvene Parliament. Downing Street was also facing accusations that Johnson had misled the queen by advising her that prorogation was legal.

The government insists the no-deal assessment document is not a prediction, but a "reasonable worst case scenario," that is deliberately wide ranging and stark in its forecasts to ensure that the nation is prepared. It has pledged to publish "revised assumptions" reflecting ongoing preparatory work "in due course".

The document – categorized as "official and sensitive" – says certain types of fresh food supplies will decrease, and heavy goods vehicles might have to wait more than two days to cross the channel to France. It also says some businesses may stop trading and there would be a growth in the black market.

The government's opponents argue that a no-deal policy choice amounts to volunteering to expose the country to, at the least, short-term harmful consequences and urgently seeks to scrutinize its intentions further in Parliament.

Labour's Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, urged Johnson to "open those doors" so that MPs can hold the prime minister to account.

"This is really important. The idea of shutting down Parliament offended people across the country and then they felt they weren't being told the truth," he said.

On whether Johnson had misled the queen, a government spokesman referred journalists to the arguments laid out by the government's lawyers: "The answer on why Parliament has been prorogued is unchanged. As we've said, the current parliamentary session is the longest parliamentary session in almost 400 years. In recent months it's been one of the least active. The PM said on his first day in the job that the time has come to act, to take decisions, to give strong leadership and to change this country for the better. He wants to put before MPs a proper domestic legislative program. This will be a queen's speech focused on helping the NHS, fighting violent crime and cutting the cost of living."

Meanwhile, the minister responsible for planning for a no-deal Brexit, Michael Gove, has defended the government's decision not to release communications between named Downing Street advisors about why the government sought to prorogue, or suspend, Parliament.

In a letter to the former attorney general Dominic Grieve, Gove insisted the demand by MPs to see the messages was unreasonable and disproportionate.