Former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond and representatives from the opposition Labour Party met to discuss the possibility of preventing a no-deal Brexit, media reported.
Hammond held private talks with Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer on Wednesday following his resignation from his position in the government, according to British media. The pair reportedly agreed to work with other senior figures such as former Conservative ministers Oliver Letwin and Dominic Grieve to establish how to best use parliamentary votes to stop the United Kingdom from leaving the European Union without a deal.
Starmer subsequently confirmed that Boris Johnson's arrival in Downing Street prompted further high-level cross-party discussions on which course of action to take. One option would be to amend Brexit-related legislation that has to pass through Parliament before the UK can leave the EU in a way that would compel Johnson to request a further extension to the UK’s membership if no Brexit agreement is reached by early October. Another option, albeit as a last resort, would be for Hammond and other Conservative Remainers to vote for a no-confidence motion in their own government if a no-deal Brexit appears likely.