LABOUR is set to veto next week’s motion for an early general election after peers passed a Bill today that effectively blocks the Tories from pushing through a no-deal Brexit.

Opposition leaders have agreed to vote against or abstain from voting when PM Boris Johnson triggers Monday’s motion for a general election.

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said Mr Johnson was “slippery” and could not be trusted over the timing even though the prospect of an election was “extremely attractive.”

Labour fears that a general election will be used as “a distraction” while Mr Johnson and his government “by some cunning wheeze, bounce us out of the European Union without a deal,” she added.

Ms Thornberry told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Our first priority has to be that we must stop no-deal.”

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said the opposition parties do not want to “walk into a trap” even though he is eager to have an election to remove Mr Johnson.

“We’ll do it in a way that there are not unintended consequences,” he said.

It comes after TUC president Mark Serwotka demanded Labour support a general election as soon as legislation halting a no-deal Brexit is imposed on the government.

Mr Johnson’s trustworthiness was further cast into doubt on Thursday when his own brother Jo announced that he would be resigning as a Tory MP and minister over the direction his sibling was taking on Brexit.

Without the opposition’s backing for a general election, Mr Johnson is unlikely to secure the votes of two-thirds of 650 MPs, 434, required to set an October 15 polling day.

His attempt to set the date was knocked back on Wednesday night when it failed to get the required number of votes.

A general election taking place after October 31 would damage the government, as a new poll by ICM shows the Tories are polling at 37 per cent for pre-October 31 election but just 28 per cent for an election after that date.

More Tory MPs have also announced that they will not be standing in the next general election.

The resignation of former Tory minister Claire Perry today sparked fears of a mass exodus from the party.

Her announcement of her intention to quit as MP if there’s a snap general election comes after former defence secretary Michael Fallon and London Minister Nick Hurd said they also wouldn’t stand.

Mr Johnson said he would try to find a way to “build bridges” with the 21 senior Conservatives he booted out of the party earlier this week for voting against him.

And more shame descended on the Conservative Party today after it shared a picture of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn dressed as a chicken, which it directed to the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) fast food chain.

It was captioned: “Hey @KFC_UKI, we’ve found an even bigger chicken than you.”

The jibe comes after Mr Johnson branded Mr Corbyn a “gigantic chlorinated chicken” over his decision to block a general election.

Tweeting in response to the post, shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said the Tories were “distracting from their chaotic leadership and lack of mandate with bad policies and even worse jokes.”

Former Conservative Alistair Burt, who had the whip removed this week for defying the government over plans to block a no-deal Brexit, tweeted: “Please stop this stuff. We are better than this.”