Johnson threatens election ahead of Brexit battle with parliament
LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday ruled out ever asking the European Union to delay Britain’s departure from the bloc, making an implicit warning to lawmakers that he could be forced to call an election if they tied his hands on Brexit.
Johnson’s promise to take the country out of the EU on October 31 with or without a divorce deal has propelled the United Kingdom towards a constitutional crisis and a battle with the 27 other members of the bloc.
An alliance of opposition lawmakers are plotting with rebels in Johnson’s Conservative Party to take control of parliament and tie the government’s hands with legislation that would block a no-deal exit.
Johnson, giving a hastily organised statement at a lectern outside 10 Downing Street, said he would never delay Brexit which was delayed twice by his predecessor, Theresa May. “I want everybody to know there are no circumstances in which I will ask Brussels to delay: we are leaving on 31st October, no ifs or buts,” Johnson said.
In an implicit warning to lawmakers, Johnson said: “We will not accept any attempt to go back on our promises.” “I don’t want an election. You don’t want an election. Let’s get on with the people’s agenda,” he said.
Johnson, the face of the Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 referendum, added that if lawmakers voted to delay Brexit they would “plainly chop the legs out from under the UK position and make any further negotiation absolutely impossible”.
The intervention by Johnson is part of the political chess game over Brexit ahead of parliament’s return from its summer break on Tuesday: In essence, the British PM is warning parliament he will go for an election as early as October 14 if they defy him.
Rebels and opponents of the government say Johnson is betting on an election that he will cast as being forced on him by opponents of Brexit in parliament.
Lawmakers opposed to a no-deal Brexit will seek on Tuesday to take control of parliamentary time on Wednesday to pass legislation which would force Johnson to seek a three-month delay to Brexit. If they defeat the government, Johnson will then seek an election.
More than three years since the UK voted 52-48% to withdraw from the European Union, it is still unclear on what terms, or indeed whether, Brexit will take place.
After Johnson's enforcers warned rebels that they would be kicked out of the party if they defied him, speculation mounted that he would call for an election just days before an EU summit due on October 17-18.
Under British law, two-thirds of lawmakers must support holding an early election, and Johnson is not certain to get that backing.
The UK has held a variety of extraordinary votes in recent years. In 2014, Scots rejected independence in a referendum; in 2015, then-PM David Cameron won a surprise majority on a pledge to hold a European Union referendum on the European Union but lost the referendum the following year.
After winning the top job in the chaos following the referendum, then-PM Theresa May bet on a 2017 snap election but lost her majority. Johnson took over from May in July after she failed three times to get a Brexit divorce deal approved by parliament.
As things stand, Britain will leave the EU on October 31 unless it seeks an extension and the other 27 EU nations approve. If Parliament instructs the government to request an extension but is ignored, it would set off a constitutional clash of major proportions.
[1][2]
from UK News Headlines, Latest UK News and Live Updates - Times of India https://ift.tt/2PBJp8G
Johnson’s promise to take the country out of the EU on October 31 with or without a divorce deal has propelled the United Kingdom towards a constitutional crisis and a battle with the 27 other members of the bloc.
An alliance of opposition lawmakers are plotting with rebels in Johnson’s Conservative Party to take control of parliament and tie the government’s hands with legislation that would block a no-deal exit.
Johnson, giving a hastily organised statement at a lectern outside 10 Downing Street, said he would never delay Brexit which was delayed twice by his predecessor, Theresa May. “I want everybody to know there are no circumstances in which I will ask Brussels to delay: we are leaving on 31st October, no ifs or buts,” Johnson said.
In an implicit warning to lawmakers, Johnson said: “We will not accept any attempt to go back on our promises.” “I don’t want an election. You don’t want an election. Let’s get on with the people’s agenda,” he said.
Johnson, the face of the Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 referendum, added that if lawmakers voted to delay Brexit they would “plainly chop the legs out from under the UK position and make any further negotiation absolutely impossible”.
The intervention by Johnson is part of the political chess game over Brexit ahead of parliament’s return from its summer break on Tuesday: In essence, the British PM is warning parliament he will go for an election as early as October 14 if they defy him.
Rebels and opponents of the government say Johnson is betting on an election that he will cast as being forced on him by opponents of Brexit in parliament.
Lawmakers opposed to a no-deal Brexit will seek on Tuesday to take control of parliamentary time on Wednesday to pass legislation which would force Johnson to seek a three-month delay to Brexit. If they defeat the government, Johnson will then seek an election.
More than three years since the UK voted 52-48% to withdraw from the European Union, it is still unclear on what terms, or indeed whether, Brexit will take place.
After Johnson's enforcers warned rebels that they would be kicked out of the party if they defied him, speculation mounted that he would call for an election just days before an EU summit due on October 17-18.
Under British law, two-thirds of lawmakers must support holding an early election, and Johnson is not certain to get that backing.
The UK has held a variety of extraordinary votes in recent years. In 2014, Scots rejected independence in a referendum; in 2015, then-PM David Cameron won a surprise majority on a pledge to hold a European Union referendum on the European Union but lost the referendum the following year.
After winning the top job in the chaos following the referendum, then-PM Theresa May bet on a 2017 snap election but lost her majority. Johnson took over from May in July after she failed three times to get a Brexit divorce deal approved by parliament.
As things stand, Britain will leave the EU on October 31 unless it seeks an extension and the other 27 EU nations approve. If Parliament instructs the government to request an extension but is ignored, it would set off a constitutional clash of major proportions.
[1][2]
References
- ^ Boris Johnson (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
- ^ Brexit (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
from UK News Headlines, Latest UK News and Live Updates - Times of India https://ift.tt/2PBJp8G
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