Johnson's parliament suspension triggers protests and resignations

LONDON: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a furious backlash on Thursday as his decision to suspend the parliament provoked strong criticism from British lawmakers who are against a "no-deal" Brexit, including some of his own ruling Conservative Party. The manoeuvre also unified the disparate political opposition, bringing protests, legal action and an petition with more than 1 million signatures.
A day after the PM's surprise announcement, Ruth Davidson, a critic of a "no-deal" Brexit, quit as leader of Scottish Conservatives. In her letter she did not explicitly mention prorogation but stated: "While I have not hidden the conflict I have felt over Brexit, I have attempted to chart a course for our party which recognises and respects the referendum result, while seeking to maximise opportunities and mitigate risks for key Scottish businesses and sectors". She will continue to serve as a member of the Scottish parliament from Edinburgh Central.
Lord Young of Cookham, a junior Tory whip in the House of Lords, also resigned stating he was very unhappy at the timing and length of the prorogation, and its motivation. He wrote it "risks undermining the fundamental role of Parliament at a critical time in our history, and reinforces the view that the government may not have the confidence of the House for its Brexit policy".
More than 70 cross-party MPs and peers have filed a petition in the Court of Session in Edinburgh asking for an injunction to stop parliament being suspended, while anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller has made a judicial review application in the London high court to stop the prorogation.
The petition, which had garnered 1.5 million signatures by Thursday, states: "Parliament must not be prorogued or dissolved unless and until the Article 50 period has been sufficiently extended or the UK's intention to withdraw from the EU has been cancelled".
Several thousand angry protesters gathered outside parliament and Downing Street on Wednesday night. One of them, Andrew Woodman (36), who works in finance, told TOI : "It was a real mix of people - elderly, young people, families and office workers. I didn't go on previous protests as I assumed due process would prevail and there would be debates in parliament. What has happened is unprecedented. I thought we would either remain or end up with some compromise, at least not with a no-deal Brexit."
The confrontation is almost certain to increase next week when lawmakers return from their summer recess for a brief session. They are pledging to challenge what Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has called Johnson's "smash-and-grab raid against our democracy." "What we're going to do is try to politically stop him on Tuesday with a parliamentary process in order to legislate to prevent a no-deal Brexit and also to try and prevent him shutting down Parliament in this utterly crucial period," Corbyn said. "We believe we can do it."
While proroguing parliament is standard procedure before the Queen's Speech, in the last 40 years parliament has never been prorogued for longer than three weeks. In 2017 it lasted six days and in 2016 it was five days. This prorogation will last five weeks and the timing of it is being viewed by critics as a deliberate ploy to prevent MPs stopping a no-deal Brexit.
Johnson insists the suspension will still allow time to debate Brexit. MPs will now sit briefly between September 3 and a date between September 9 and 12 and then again in the second two weeks of October.
PIO MPs and professionals in London were divided. Tory MP Shailesh Vara said "prorogation of parliament is completely constitutional and proper" while Labour MP Seema Malhotra said it was "utterly extraordinary and anti-democratic". MP Preet Kaur Gill said it was "a coup" and that Johnson was "a dictator".
Bhavin Dedhia, 37, a dentist from Mumbai who lives in Hampshire, said the prorogation was "quite anarchic and catastrophic for a parliament-run democracy". However, Nitin Rane (34), an IT consultant from Mumbai, said: "They couldn't get their act together be it Opposition or government in the last three years. I am happy to see Boris Johnson take some decision. If the people's vote for Brexit is not being honoured by parliament then what democracy are we talking about?"
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References

1. ^{^} Boris Johnson (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
2. ^{^} Brexit (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
3. ^{^} London (www.happytrips.com)
4. ^{^} Jeremy Corbyn (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
5. ^{^} democracy (www.speakingtree.in)

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