I was proud to host and speak at the huge cross-party rally in Sheffield to oppose a no-deal Brexit and Boris Johnson’s anti-democratic prorogation of Parliament. Thank you to the thousands of people who came together to make their voices heard.

Although the prorogation went ahead, I was pleased to work with MPs from across Parliament to pass a law that compels Boris Johnson to seek an extension to Article 50 that would stop us crashing out of the EU on 31 October.

A disastrous no-deal Brexit would leave the UK at the mercy of Donald Trump. Leaving the EU without a deal would create an economic crisis and give Boris Johnson the chance to sign a new trade agreement with Trump that could hand our NHS over to US corporations.

No ifs, no buts – I’ll always vote to block a reckless no-deal Brexit, as was promised in the manifesto I stood on in 2017.

It was also important to ensure that Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings weren’t able to use a General Election to force through a no-deal Brexit. That’s why MPs from the opposition parties blocked an election until it has been assured that the PM can’t crash us out of the EU with no democratic mandate.

I know just how much Sheffield, and the country as a whole, needs a Labour government to bring an end to the Tories’ brutal cuts. But I also know just how disastrous a no-deal Brexit would be and that the Prime Minister is unscrupulous enough to use dubious means to bypass Parliamentary democracy.

I will support a General Election as soon as the danger of no-deal Brexit on 31 October has passed us. We now await the decision of the Supreme Court and the outcome of the European Council on 17 October.