LONDON: PrimeMinister Boris Johnson yesterday announced the suspension of parliament in thefinal weeks before Britain's EU departure date, enraging anti-Brexit MPs. Thepound slid on the surprise news, which opponents branded a "coup" anda "declaration of war", although US President Donald Trump weighedinto the row by praising Johnson as "great". The Conservativeleader's move to close parliament for a month will give pro-EU lawmakers lesstime than they expected to try to thwart his plans for a possible no-dealBrexit on Oct 31.
Queen ElizabethII has approved the request to close what has been the longest session ofparliament in nearly 400 years, and reopen it on Oct 14 setting out Johnson'sfresh legislative program. Seemingly caught on the hop, incensed anti-BrexitMPs were left scrambling for a way to stop the move. Johnson's announcementcame after six opposition parties said on Tuesday they would first seek tolegislate to prevent leaving the EU without a deal when parliament returns froma summer recess next week.
Jeremy Corbyn,the leader of the main opposition Labour Party, has said he wants to call avote of no-confidence in Johnson's government, which commands a majority ofjust one seat. John Bercow, the speaker of parliament's lower House of Commons,described the closure as a "constitutional outrage" designed tostymie debate on Brexit, with Britain currently on course to crash out withouta divorce deal.
An EU summit onOct 17-18 could decide whether Britain ends its four decades of membershipwithout a withdrawal agreement that governs future trade relations andcitizens' rights. Johnson said there would be "ample time" eitherside of the summit for MPs to debate Brexit. And he said it was"completely untrue" that the move was designed to stop MPs blockinghis Brexit strategy. Johnson said it was to "bring forward a new, bold andambitious domestic legislative agenda for the renewal of our country afterBrexit". The government's chief Brexit adviser David Frost was in Brusselsfor talks yesterday.
In the seismic2016 referendum on Britain's EU membership, 52 percent voted in favor ofleaving the bloc, a result that has left parliament and the country bitterlydivided. Johnson insists Britain must leave on the Oct 31 deadline - alreadytwice-delayed - with or without a divorce deal from Brussels. Parliament hasrejected three times the withdrawal agreement struck between Brussels and thegovernment of Johnson's predecessor Theresa May.
Parliamenttypically goes into recess again around the annual party conference season,which kicks off on Sept 14 and ends on Oct 2. Bercow, who was not forewarnedabout Johnson's suspension decision, said: "It is blindingly obvious thatthe purpose of prorogation now would be to stop parliament debatingBrexit". "Shutting down parliament would be an offence against thedemocratic process."
The pound slumpedmore than one percent at one stage, but shares rose as London-listedmultinationals stand to gain from a weaker currency. Johnson's move"certainly caught markets off-guard", noted Craig Erlam, seniormarket analyst at Oanda. Corbyn called it "an outrage" and a"smash-and-grab on our democracy in order to force through a no-dealexit", while Labour's finance spokesman John McDonnell branded it a"coup".
Liberal DemocratBrexit spokesman Tom Brake tweeted: "The mother of all parliaments willnot allow him to shut the people's parliament out of the biggest decisionfacing our country. His declaration of war will be met with an iron fist."Lib Dem MP Sarah Wollaston said Johnson was "behaving like a tin potdictator". Robert Craig, a constitutional expert at Durham University,said there was "theoretically absolutely nothing wrong" with thesuspension, noting it was normal for a new leader to start a freshparliamentary session. "But the reason that it is causing outrage isbecause it's reducing the number of available days for parliament to stop ano-deal."
Analyst MaddyThimont Jack, from the Institute for Government think-tank, said the timing wascontroversial. "I don't think it's a constitutional crisis," he toldAFP, adding: "Stopping no-deal is definitely still possible. There isstill time." A petition against the move has already collected around350,000 signatures, meaning it will be debated by MPs. More than 70parliamentarians have also launched a fast-track legal bid at the highest civilcourt in Scotland, aimed at preventing Johnson from suspending parliament. -AFP