Johnson heads to UN meet

British PM to raise Brexit issue with other European leaders

LONDON: Boris Johnson heads to New York today for his first United Nations General Assembly as prime minister. But even on the other side of the Atlantic, he won’t be able to escape Brexit.

According to a statement from Johnson, his two-day schedule will see him “raising three crucial issues” – the crisis in the Middle East, climate change and “how post-Brexit Britain will be a better place to invest in and live in”.

The question he has to tackle first, and the one that is likely to dominate his trip, is whether and how he can get Britain to a “post-Brexit” point. To that end, his office is setting up a series of meetings with other Europeans. Those confirmed include Germany’s Angela Merkel, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Ireland’s Leo Varadkar and EU President Donald Tusk. He’ll meet Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Johnson’s agenda could also be overshadowed by a ruling due from the UK’s Supreme Court, on whether he broke the law when he suspended Parliament. The ruling is due next week.

Even if the court rules in his favour, the hearings this past week have been the latest example of how Johnson’s administration has run into difficulty.

The prime minister took office at the end of July, with a mandate to get Britain out of the European Union by Oct 31.

August saw him enjoying the job, and getting on well with Trump at a Group of Seven summit in Biarritz, France.

But the last three weeks have found Johnson at the mercy of the same forces that brought down his predecessor, Theresa May: an unruly Parliament that can’t agree on Brexit, and a united front of EU leaders determined to protect what they see as their interests.

Johnson’s attempt to get his way with both by dialling up threats has so far been unsuccessful.

Members of Parliament from his own Conservative Party rebelled to pass a law that aims to force him to seek a delay to Brexit unless he can get a deal.

His plan to suspend Parliament backfired, spurring MPs into action, and his threat that they would be expelled from the Tories was ignored. Instead, Johnson found himself far short of a majority.

He and his ministers insist they won’t seek a Brexit delay, but their week in the Supreme Court has been a reminder that even prime ministers have to obey the law.