Opponents of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday rallied against his ploy to suspend Parliament for nearly a month, saying they plan to hold a vote of no confidence and pursue legal challenges and legislation to block a no-deal Brexit.
Queen Elizabeth II signed off Wednesday on Johnson’s request to suspend Parliament in the weeks leading up to the Oct. 31 deadline for Britain to exit the European Union.
“Let me make it absolutely clear, and this is a personal message to Boris Johnson: ‘Bring it on,’” said John McDonnell, finance chief of the opposition Labor Party, adding that they would seek a no-confidence vote against Johnson when Parliament returns next week from its summer recess.
Protests broke out in the streets and towns across the United Kingdom after Johnson announced that Parliament wouldn’t begin its new session until Oct. 14, and 25 bishops from the Church of England released a letter warning of the “economic shocks” a no-deal Brexit would have on the country’s most vulnerable.
“We will seek to try and put through the appropriate legislation in this constrained timetable that the government has now put before us,” said Barry Gardiner, the Labor Party’s spokesman on international trade.
A petition demanding Parliament not be suspended garnered more than 1 million signatures — guaranteeing it will be brought up for debate.
Lawmakers also asked a Scottish court to rule on whether Johnson’s suspending Parliament was legal.
But Johnson supporters and pro-Brexit politicians threw down their own challenge to opponents.
“All these people who are wailing and gnashing of teeth know that there are two ways of doing what they want to do,” said House of Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg. “One is to change the government and the other is to change the law. If they do either of those, that will then have an effect.”
He said if they don’t have the “courage or the gumption” to follow through with the options, then Britain will leave the European Union at the end of October.
Ministers of the trading bloc urged Britain to proceed with caution before exiting without an agreement.
“We still hope it will be possible to avoid a no-deal Brexit and we are looking forward to any proposals from the British government that fit into the Withdrawal Agreement,” Dutch Foreign Minister Stephan Blok said. “It’s in nobody’s interest to see a no-deal Brexit.”
Since voters approved a referendum to leave the European Union in 2016, lawmakers three times have rejected legislation allowing the separation.
With wires
https://nypost.com/2019/08/29/boris-johnsons-opponents-rally-against-his-attempt-to-suspend-parliament/
2019-08-29 13:00:00Z
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