LONDON: PrimeMinister Boris Johnson's Brexit plan was facing mounting legal, political anddiplomatic challenges as Ireland accused Britain of being unreasonable andformer British leader John Major sought to stop the suspension of parliament.The ultimate outcome of Britain's tortuous three-year Brexit crisis remainsunclear with options ranging from a frantic departure without an exit deal or alast-minute agreement to an election or referendum that could cancel the wholeendeavor.
Johnson, the faceof the Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 referendum, has promised to lead theUnited Kingdom out of the European Union in two months with or without adivorce deal, a threat he hopes will convince the bloc to give him the exitdeal he wants. In the eye of the Brexit maelstrom, though, Johnson was undermounting pressure: opponents in parliament were plotting to tear up his Brexitplans or topple his government, while his suspension of parliament was underscrutiny in the courts.
Johnson's bid toget the insurance policy for the Irish border changed were bluntly dismissed byDublin which said London was being totally unreasonable. "Boris Johnson isoutlining a very clear and firm position but it is a totally unreasonableposition that the EU cannot facilitate and he must know that," IrishForeign Minister Simon Coveney said in an interview with Ireland's Newstalkradio.
German ForeignMinister Heiko Maas said Britain should make concrete proposals as soon aspossible but that the EU could not imagine reopening the Withdrawal Agreementthat Johnson's predecessor Theresa May agreed with Brussels in November.Britain insisted it had made proposals on the border backstop and that it was "untrue"to suggest it had not. The government said British negotiators would holdtwice-weekly talks with EU officials next month in an attempt to rework theBrexit agreement that Britain's parliament has repeatedly rejected.
Brexit ensnared
With just two monthsuntil the United Kingdom is due to leave the EU, Johnson's decision to askQueen Elizabeth to suspend parliament was under challenge from three separatecourt proceedings. The queen on Aug 28 approved Johnson's order to suspendparliament from as early as Sept 9 to Oct 14, a move that ensures parliamentwould sit for around four days less than it had been expected to.
Former PrimeMinister John Major, whose 1990-1997 premiership included the 1992 disorderlyexit of the pound from the Exchange Rate Mechanism, asked to join one of theproceedings to block Johnson's order. A Scottish court will hear arguments onSept 3, a case brought by campaigner Gina Miller will be heard on Sept 5 and aNorthern Irish court will hear a separate case on Sept 6. Ultimately, the casescould be combined to go to the Supreme Court - the final court of appeal in theUnited Kingdom which hears cases of the gravest constitutional importance.
"Legalproceedings can be fast-tracked as the judges in the case determine," RobertBlackburn, professor of constitutional law at King's College London said."If the case of those bringing the legal proceedings wins, the SupremeCourt could quash and/or declare unlawful the Privy Council order authorizingthe forthcoming prorogation," said Blackburn. In parliament, the battlefor Brexit was due to begin in earnest on Sept. 3 when lawmakers return fromtheir summer break and will try to either topple the government or forcethrough a law designed to prevent Britain leaving the EU without an exit deal.- Reuters