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Boris Johnson Seeks to Stifle Brexit Opposition With Surprise Parliamentary Delay Boris Johnson’s Surprise Brexit Ploy: Delay Parliament
(about 1 hour later)
LONDON — Normally, in times of national crisis, British leaders convene Parliament. But as the country confronts its biggest crisis in many decades, Prime Minister Boris Johnson seems intent on doing the opposite.LONDON — Normally, in times of national crisis, British leaders convene Parliament. But as the country confronts its biggest crisis in many decades, Prime Minister Boris Johnson seems intent on doing the opposite.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson threw the Brexit debate into new turmoil by cutting short the time Parliament has left to try to prevent a potentially chaotic no-deal departure from the European Union. Opposition politicians denounced the move as undemocratic and possibly unconstitutional.On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson threw the Brexit debate into new turmoil by cutting short the time Parliament has left to try to prevent a potentially chaotic no-deal departure from the European Union. Opposition politicians denounced the move as undemocratic and possibly unconstitutional.
Mr. Johnson’s startling maneuver set the stage for a heated showdown with Parliament next week, when it returns from summer recess, and possibly again in October, as the Oct. 31 deadline for Brexit bears down.Mr. Johnson’s startling maneuver set the stage for a heated showdown with Parliament next week, when it returns from summer recess, and possibly again in October, as the Oct. 31 deadline for Brexit bears down.
[With Brexit gambit, Boris Johnson reveals a ruthless side.]
The speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, called Mr. Johnson’s decision a “constitutional outrage.” Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, denounced it as “reckless,” while the party’s finance policy spokesman, John McDonnell, called it a “very British coup.”The speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, called Mr. Johnson’s decision a “constitutional outrage.” Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, denounced it as “reckless,” while the party’s finance policy spokesman, John McDonnell, called it a “very British coup.”
“Whatever one’s views on Brexit, once you allow a Prime Minister to prevent the full and free operation of our democratic institutions you are on a very precarious path,” Mr. McDonnell wrote on Twitter.“Whatever one’s views on Brexit, once you allow a Prime Minister to prevent the full and free operation of our democratic institutions you are on a very precarious path,” Mr. McDonnell wrote on Twitter.
[What a no-deal Brexit might mean, and why it matters.] Parliament was scheduled to meet during the first two weeks of September and then to be suspended for annual political party conferences. It was scheduled to reconvene around Oct. 9.
Parliament was scheduled to meet during the first two weeks of September and then to be suspended for annual political party conferences. It was then scheduled to reconvene around Oct. 9.
But in a letter sent Wednesday to all members of Parliament, Mr. Johnson said he intended to ask Queen Elizabeth II to “prorogue,” or suspend, Parliament for around a further week and to have it resume on Oct. 14 with the “Queen’s speech,” in which the monarch traditionally lays out the government’s agenda.But in a letter sent Wednesday to all members of Parliament, Mr. Johnson said he intended to ask Queen Elizabeth II to “prorogue,” or suspend, Parliament for around a further week and to have it resume on Oct. 14 with the “Queen’s speech,” in which the monarch traditionally lays out the government’s agenda.
The monarch’s approval is considered a formality, and hours after the announcement, the government said that the queen had approved the request. Mr. Johnson’s plan had threatened to drag the queen into the political arena, as some opposition politicians, including Jo Swinson, the leader of the staunchly anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats, suggested that the monarch should reject the prime minister’s request. The monarch’s approval is considered a formality, and hours after the announcement, the government said that the queen had approved the request.
Legal experts said the move appeared to fall within the bounds of Britain’s unwritten constitution, but many saw it as a step on the path to a full-blown constitutional crisis as the fight over Brexit grinds on toward the deadline.
It has already provoked one legal challenge, as a court in Edinburgh agreed to take up an appeal by dozens of members of Parliament to block the move.
An online petition on a government website, demanding that Parliament not be suspended while a Brexit deadline looms, had collected more than 420,000 signatures by Wednesday afternoon — far more than the 100,000 needed to require Parliament to consider holding a debate on the issue.
In a video interview on Wednesday morning, Mr. Johnson said he had made his decision in order to progress with “our plans to take this country forward” and to “get on with our domestic agenda.”In a video interview on Wednesday morning, Mr. Johnson said he had made his decision in order to progress with “our plans to take this country forward” and to “get on with our domestic agenda.”
“To do that we need legislation, we’ve got to be bringing forward new and important bills and that’s why we are going to have a Queen’s speech and we’re going to do it on Oct. 14,” he said. “We’ve got to move ahead now with a new legislative program.”“To do that we need legislation, we’ve got to be bringing forward new and important bills and that’s why we are going to have a Queen’s speech and we’re going to do it on Oct. 14,” he said. “We’ve got to move ahead now with a new legislative program.”
A majority in Parliament is on record opposing a no-deal Brexit, and many of those lawmakers hope to organize a vote that would prohibit the government from going through with it. On Tuesday, a group of opposition lawmakers agreed to coordinate toward that end. [What a no-deal Brexit might mean, and why it matters.]
Their time for maneuver was already limited, and Wednesday’s move will restrict it further by eliminating the option of shortening the scheduled break in September for party conferences — something lawmakers were considering. On top of that, the period of a Queen’s speech is likely to take up several critical days, as Parliament debates the proposals. While Mr. Johnson’s maneuver seemed like a bolt out of the blue, it was telegraphed weeks ago by his chief strategist, Dominic Cummings. It also seemed time to inflict maximum damage on the efforts of opponents of a no-deal Brexit, who had agreed just the day before to coordinate a legislative assault on a no-deal Brexit.
Some Conservative lawmakers in the rebel ranks had been pulling back from the prospect of voting against the government in the next two weeks because of speculation that Mr. Johnson was making progress in negotiations with the European Union. Their time for maneuver was already limited, and Wednesday’s move will further restrict it by eliminating the option of shortening the scheduled break in September for party conferences — something lawmakers were considering. On top of that, the period of a Queen’s speech is likely to take up several critical days, as Parliament debates the proposals.
The prime minister’s strike against the anti-Brexit forces also conforms to a strategy he developed during the campaign for the Conservative Party leadership earlier in the summer, when he promised to withdraw Britain from the European Union by Oct. 31, “do or die.”
He has maintained that stance ever since, and some analysts see it as a tactic leading up to a general election that many consider inevitable.
Keeping open the possibility of a no-deal exit is the only source of leverage Mr. Johnson has as he tries to persuade the European Union to accept changes in the withdrawal deal that will make it acceptable to a Parliament that has already voted it down three times.
His hard-line stance also guards against the electoral threat of the Brexit Party of Nigel Farage, whose raison d’être is Brexit at any cost.
In the event of an election, Mr. Johnson’s adamantly pro-Brexit stance will enable him to present himself as the champion of the people against a Parliament that has betrayed voters’ desire to leave the bloc.
“I suspect Number 10 believes it has created a win win scenario with this explosive announcement,” Craig Oliver, who was director of communications for Prime Minister David Cameron, wrote on Twitter. “Yes — and they get Brexit by October 31st; No — and they get to fight a ‘people versus parliament’ general election.”
There is one potential drawback to Mr. Johnson’s maneuver. Some Conservative lawmakers in the rebel ranks had been pulling back from the prospect of voting against the government in the next two weeks because of speculation that the prime minister was making progress in negotiations with the European Union.
They now may believe they can no longer afford to wait and see. One of the leading Tory rebels, the former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, told Sky News that Mr. Johnson was behaving more “like a revolutionary than a Conservative prime minister — this is tantamount to a coup really against Parliament.”They now may believe they can no longer afford to wait and see. One of the leading Tory rebels, the former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, told Sky News that Mr. Johnson was behaving more “like a revolutionary than a Conservative prime minister — this is tantamount to a coup really against Parliament.”
“He will not find it easy to get his way and disregard the House of Commons and Parliament generally in this fashion,” Mr. Grieve added.“He will not find it easy to get his way and disregard the House of Commons and Parliament generally in this fashion,” Mr. Grieve added.
But Mr. Johnson’s allies welcomed his gambit. “In 400 years we haven’t had a session of Parliament that’s lasted as long as this,” Simon Clarke, the Exchequer secretary to the Treasury, wrote on Twitter. “We need a Queen’s Speech to set out a bold agenda for after we leave the E.U.”But Mr. Johnson’s allies welcomed his gambit. “In 400 years we haven’t had a session of Parliament that’s lasted as long as this,” Simon Clarke, the Exchequer secretary to the Treasury, wrote on Twitter. “We need a Queen’s Speech to set out a bold agenda for after we leave the E.U.”
The current session of Parliament is the longest since the English civil war of 1642-51.The current session of Parliament is the longest since the English civil war of 1642-51.
While Mr. Johnson’s maneuver seemed like a bolt out of the blue, it is was telegraphed weeks ago by his chief strategist, Dominic Cummings. It also conforms to a strategy that Mr. Johnson developed during the campaign for the Conservative Party leadership earlier in the summer, when he promised to withdraw Britain from the European Union by Oct. 31, “do or die.” Legal experts said the move appeared to fall within the bounds of Britain’s unwritten constitution, but many saw it as a step on the path to a full-blown constitutional crisis as the fight over Brexit grinds on toward the deadline.
He has maintained that stance ever since, and some analysts see it as a tactical strategy leading up to a general election that many consider inevitable.
The prime minister has been trying to persuade the European Union to soften its position on Brexit and to persuade Parliament to back a revised withdrawal plan, and the threat of a no-deal Brexit is the only leverage he can bring to bear.
The Conservative Party also worries about the threat posed by the Brexit Party of Nigel Farage, which calls for a clean break from the bloc. Its appeal would be blunted by Mr. Johnson’s full-throated call for Brexit at any cost.
Having a precarious majority of one in Parliament, Mr. Johnson is highly vulnerable to a no-confidence vote by his opponents, which could result in an election. Once again, analysts say, his adamantly pro-Brexit stance would serve him well, allowing him to present himself as the champion of the people against a Parliament that has betrayed voters’ desire to leave the bloc.
“I suspect Number 10 believes it has created a win win scenario with this explosive announcement,” Craig Oliver, who was director of communications for Prime Minister David Cameron, wrote on Twitter. “Yes — and they get Brexit by October 31st; No — and they get to fight a ‘people versus parliament’ general election.”
In the short term, the effect of Mr. Johnson’s tactic is to concentrate and accelerate a clash with opposition and rebel Conservative lawmakers who agreed on Tuesday to coordinate their efforts to try to prevent a “no deal” Brexit that could, according to government leaks, lead to jammed ports and shortages of some medicines and fuel.
Yvette Cooper, an opposition Labour lawmaker strongly opposed to a no-deal Brexit, wrote on Twitter: “Boris Johnson is trying to use the Queen to concentrate power in his own hands — this is a deeply dangerous and irresponsible way to govern.”Yvette Cooper, an opposition Labour lawmaker strongly opposed to a no-deal Brexit, wrote on Twitter: “Boris Johnson is trying to use the Queen to concentrate power in his own hands — this is a deeply dangerous and irresponsible way to govern.”
His move has already provoked one legal challenge, as a court in Edinburgh agreed to take up an appeal by dozens of members of Parliament to block it.
An online petition on a government website, demanding that Parliament not be suspended while a Brexit deadline looms, had collected more than 550,000 signatures by Wednesday evening — far more than the 100,000 needed to require Parliament to consider holding a debate on the issue.
A Brexit deal with the European Union would be highly complicated, covering tariffs, product standards, fisheries, immigration, financial services, the border with Ireland and other issues. Mr. Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, negotiated a withdrawal agreement that was nearly 600 pages long, just to secure a transition period while long-term arrangements were made.A Brexit deal with the European Union would be highly complicated, covering tariffs, product standards, fisheries, immigration, financial services, the border with Ireland and other issues. Mr. Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, negotiated a withdrawal agreement that was nearly 600 pages long, just to secure a transition period while long-term arrangements were made.
Parliament rejected Mrs. May’s deal three times this year, and nonbinding votes on a range of alternatives suggested that no particular approach had majority support.
Mujtaba Rahman, the managing director for Europe for the Eurasia Group, a consultancy, said that even with the latest twist it was still possible that Mr. Johnson could strike an agreement with the European Union and secure Parliament’s approval.Mujtaba Rahman, the managing director for Europe for the Eurasia Group, a consultancy, said that even with the latest twist it was still possible that Mr. Johnson could strike an agreement with the European Union and secure Parliament’s approval.
Another possibility, one that raises grave constitutional questions, is that Mr. Johnson could lose a vote of confidence in Parliament but try to hold an election after Britain leaves the European Union without an agreement.Another possibility, one that raises grave constitutional questions, is that Mr. Johnson could lose a vote of confidence in Parliament but try to hold an election after Britain leaves the European Union without an agreement.
“The idea of a government implementing a no-deal Brexit then holding a general election — if the political action took place while Britain was a member of the E.U — is concerning to a number of members of Parliament,” Mr. Rahman said.“The idea of a government implementing a no-deal Brexit then holding a general election — if the political action took place while Britain was a member of the E.U — is concerning to a number of members of Parliament,” Mr. Rahman said.