Brexit: Welsh bishops 'gravely concerned' at Commons prorogation

Andy John urged the UK government to be "transparent, truthful and open"

Church in Wales bishops have expressed "grave concerns" over the suspension of parliament and the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.

In a letter to PM Boris Johnson, they warned that farming and poorer people were particularly vulnerable to dangers posed by leaving without an agreement.

Parliament is set to be suspended from next week until mid-October.

It will give opposition and rebel Tory MPs less time to take action to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

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The letter from the Church in Wales to the prime minister, signed by the bishop of Bangor Andy John, said the bishops felt "compelled to express concerns about the unprecedented events of recent days, and the imminent prospect of a no-deal Brexit".

"At this particular point in time, we are gravely concerned about the apparent use of parliamentary procedure to force through government decisions which have not been agreed upon, or even subjected to scrutiny, by parliament," the letter reads.

The bishops called for a Parliamentary debate on a petition against the suspension - known as prorogation - which has attracted 1.7m signatures.

"We urge your government to be transparent, truthful and open in its considerations at this exceptional time," the letter said.

Wales was "vulnerable to particular dangers" of a no-deal Brexit, Rt Revd John said, raising concerns on the impact on farming, food production, Airbus and firms in the tech sector.

"In accordance with our Christian principles, we are particularly concerned for protection of the poor and vulnerable," the bishop wrote, raising worries over food prices and job losses and pressures on public services.

David Jones warned rebel Tory MPs not to "undermine" the PM's negotiations with the EU

It comes amid reports that Tory rebels in Parliament could face being expelled and deselected.

One pro-Brexit Conservative supported the principle of removing the whip from them.

Clwyd West MP David Jones, a former Welsh secretary and Brexit minister, said Mr Johnson "clearly is wanting to preserve the negotiating position" of the UK government.

He said the prime minister was "entirely right to say to MPs that I regard this an issue in confidence in me, if you don't support me, and on that basis I would regard you as not being subject to the Conservative whip".

Mr Jones voted against former PM Theresa May's withdrawal agreement three times, although he said he had "always supported the position" set out in the Conservative manifesto of 2017 that "no deal is better than a bad deal, and we should no longer be part of a customs union and the single market".

He said Mr Johnson was "trying to achieve what we promised the electorate in 2017 and any MP who doesn't support and tries to undermine his negotiating position in the EU council should really expect not to be treated favourably by the leadership of the party".

However, Aberconwy's pro-EU Tory MP Guto Bebb said it was "quite rich really to hear the prime minister who has on numerous occasions voted against the government's whip now deciding that voting against the government's whip is a hanging offence".

"It shows really how desperate No. 10 actually is because I think No. 10 understand now that they haven't got the numbers to stop a legislative route to stop no deal," he told Jason Mohammad's programme on BBC Radio Wales.