Brexit showdown MPs bid to block Johnson leaving EU with no deal

LONDON - British lawmakers will on Tuesday try to stop Prime Minister Boris Johnson from pursuing what they cast as a calamitous nodeal Brexit, a challenge a senior government source said would prompt him to call for a snap election on Oct. 14. More than three years since the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in a referendum, the outcome of the Brexit crisis remains uncertain with a range of options from a turbulent no-deal exit to abandoning the entire endeavour. Johnson implicitly warned lawmakers on Monday that he would seek an election if they tied his hands, ruling out ever countenancing a further delay to Brexit, scheduled for Oct. 31. That sets up an historic Brexit showdown between prime minister and parliament in a country once touted as a confident pillar of Western economic and political stability. Sterling flirted with some of the lowest levels since 1985. An alliance of opposition lawmakers and rebels in Johnson’s Conservative Party will use parliament’s first day back from its summer break to launch their attempt to block a no-deal exit. They are confident of victory. “The priority is to prevent a no-deal exit from the EU on the 31st and we’ll see what happens after that,” opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said.

“Let’s see what happens after this legislation has gone through,” Corbyn said. “And if an election is called, I am absolutely ready to fight it.” In the eye of the Brexit maelstrom, opposition parties could try to prevent Johnson calling an election - which requires the support of twothirds of lawmakers - until they have passed their bill blocking a no-deal Brexit.

(Reuters)