Nicola Sturgeon has backed the idea of Jeremy Corbyn becoming a caretaker prime minister, in a bid to avoid the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal.
The Scottish First Minister and SNP leader tweeted on Friday that she agrees with the idea of installing the Labour leader, or an alternative figure, as PM.
“Nothing is risk free but leaving Johnson in post to force through no deal – or even a bad deal – seems like a terrible idea to me,” Sturgeon tweeted.
This could mean that Boris Johnson could soon be ousted via a vote of no-confidence as he refuses to rule out a no-deal Brexit.
As caretaker PM, Corbyn or another MP would then seek a Brexit extension, before then calling an immediate general election, it is thought.
Sturgeon’s announcement follows a fractious week in the House of Commons, when the PM drew widespread criticism for dismissing MPs’ concerns that his “dangerous” language could be putting their safety at risk as “humbug”.
The Brexit crisis also escalated further on Tuesday when Johnson’s controversial five-week shutdown of parliament was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court.
Despite the support from the SNP, however, a vote of no confidence in the UK government would still need to win over the other opposition parties, and the 23 MPs expelled by the Tories and the Liberal Democrats have said “the numbers don’t add up” for Corbyn to take over as prime minister.
Johnson has maintained that Britain will leave the EU on October 31, with or without a deal.
The Benn Act, passed in Westminster earlier this month, instructs the PM to request an extension to the deadline until the end of January if no deal is agreed, but that is something Johnson has repeatedly said he will not do.
A spokesman for the SNP said: “The SNP has led the way in ensuring Brexit can be stopped and in bringing parliament back into action after the Tories sought to shut down UK democracy, and we will continue to work with all opposition MPs to stop a no-deal Brexit and call a general election to remove this dangerous and undemocratic prime minister as soon as possible.
“It is now possible – if the political will is there – that parties could come together to ensure that the letter to secure an extension is not left in the hands of Boris Johnson and his cronies, who are determined to find a way to get around the Benn Act, but is instead sent by a temporary caretaker prime minister, who would be in office only as long as is necessary to send the letter, with an election held immediately afterwards.
“We remain open to all options to achieve the aim of stopping a no-deal Brexit and getting rid of Boris Johnson.”