UK Parliament resumes amid political ‘turmoil’, Brexit crisis

Johnson flies back

LONDON, Sept 25, (Agencies): Britain’s House of Commons reconvened on Wednesday following the bombshell Supreme Court ruling that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had acted illegally by suspending Parliament – in effect stymieing efforts to consider laws surrounding Brexit.

The historic move backed Parliament’s sovereignty and slapped down what justices viewed as an effort by Johnson that essentially squelched debate. The prime minister hurried back to London after cutting short a trip to the UN General Assembly amid demands for his resignation from furious opposition parties.

In New York, Johnson brushed aside questions about whether he would resign, said he “strongly” disagreed with the court decision and suggested he might try to suspend Parliament for a second time. Cabinet minister Michael Gove says the government “respected” the court decision but refused to apologize for breaking the law.

“I think it’s important to stress that while the Supreme Court was clear, there is a respectable legal opinion that disagrees with that view,” Gove told the BBC. “It’s perfectly possible in a democracy to say you respect a judgment and will comply with the judgment, but you also note that there are a range of views about the appropriateness of a particular course of action.”

Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn countered that Johnson should say he was sorry to the public and to Queen Elizabeth II for telling her that Parliament should be suspended. The suspension would have limited debate before Britain’s scheduled Oct 31 departure from the European Union.

“I think he should apologize to her (the Queen) for the advice he gave her but, more importantly, apologize to the British people for what he’s done in trying to shut down our democracy at a very crucial time when people are very, very worried about what will happen on Oct 31,” Corbyn told the BBC.

Johnson remains on a collision course with Parliament over his determination to extract Britain from the EU on Oct 31, even if no divorce deal is reached. Parliament has passed a law requiring him to seek an extension if there is no deal, but Johnson says he won’t do that under any circumstances.

Johnson will address Parliament on Wednesday afternoon but has begun to position himself as the champion of the people facing a recalcitrant establishment bent on frustrating the 2016 Brexit vote. The lawmakers will also discuss Brexit readiness preparations and the collapse of tour operator Thomas Cook as the session resumes.

Johnson

Pointed

In his speech in New York, Johnson mentioned Brexit only once – as a pointed aside while recalling the myth of Prometheus, who was chained to a rock by Zeus and sentenced to have his liver eaten out by an eagle for eternity.

“And this went on forever,” he quipped, “a bit like the experience of Brexit in the UK, if some of our parliamentarians had their way.”

Johnson returned home from a foreign trip on Wednesday still intent on delivering Brexit on Oct 31 but facing demands from opponents for his resignation after a humiliating Supreme Court ruling that he had unlawfully suspended parliament.

With no end in sight to the three-year crisis over Britain’s departure from the European Union, Johnson says the country will leave with or without an exit agreement. Most lawmakers are determined to block a no-deal scenario.

Parliament will sit again on Wednesday but it is unclear exactly what will emerge next from the Brexit deadlock.

Johnson has rejected calls from opponents to resign but opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Wednesday now was not the time for parliament to try and bring him down.

“Quite simply our first priority is to prevent a nodeal exit from the EU on the 31st of October,” Corbyn said in an interview on BBC Radio 4.

The House of Commons, where Johnson has no majority, will reconvene on Wednesday after the Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday that his decision to suspend it for five weeks was unlawful and therefore null and void.

Before the suspension, parliament had passed a law requiring Johnson to ask the EU to push back the deadline if no exit deal was agreed by Oct 19. Corbyn said he and other opposition legislators would focus on ensuring that Johnson abided by that law.