Protesters to march in Hastings over Boris Johnson’s plan to suspend Parliament

Starting at Asda, in Battle Road, at 2pm the Hastings and Rye CLP protest will march its way towards Hastings and Rye MP Amber Rudd’s surgery, finishing at 3.15pm.

The protest was organised after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he would suspend Parliament to force through a no deal Brexit, to ensure the UK left the EU by October 31.

In June, Hastings and Rye MP Ms Rudd called Mr Johnson’s plan to prorogue Parliament ‘outrageous’.

After Mr Johnson was voted the next leader of the Conservative party, and therefore Prime Minister, Ms Rudd accepted a position in his cabinet – staying on as Work and Pensions Secretary, a role she was given by Theresa May.

Peter Chowney, Labour candidate for Hastings and Rye, said: “Proroguing parliament is a desperate attempt to force through a no-deal Brexit that no-one voted for, with Boris Johnson showing all the qualities of a medieval tyrant.

“As recently as June, Amber Rudd seemed to agree with that, saying: ‘I think it’s outrageous to consider proroguing parliament. We are not Stuart kings’.

“So she seems to be likening the Prime Minister to Charles I, and it didn’t end well for him. I cannot understand why she has abandoned all her principles so quickly. We need an explanation about why what was so unacceptable a couple of months ago is now apparently fine.

“Can she really be that desperate to hang on to her job?”

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, responding to government plans to suspend Parliament, said: “I am appalled at the recklessness of Johnson’s government, which talks about sovereignty and yet is seeking to suspend parliament to avoid scrutiny of its plans for a reckless no deal Brexit.

“This is an outrage and a threat to our democracy.”