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24 September 2019

Tory MPs ordered not to comment on Supreme Court judgement

The Parliamentary Conservative Party does not seem to be paying much heed to the ruling by the deputy government chief whip.

By Patrick Maguire

Conservative MPs have been ordered not to comment on the Supreme Court’s judgement that Boris Johnson’s prorogation of parliament was unlawful.

In an email to the Tory parliamentary party, Amanda Milling, the deputy government chief whip, warned colleagues not to speak about the case in the media or online.

“Can I ask that colleagues do not make public comment on the Supreme Court judgement, including media and social media,” she wrote.

Her edict reflects the extent to which the government has been blindsided by this morning’s ruling: it has not yet come up with a line to take.

And Tory MPs are not paying much heed to her ruling: Tom Tugendhat, the chair of the foreign affairs select committee, has already responded by tweeting a selfie from the green benches.

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