No deal, no win, no trust

Brexit hurtling towards chaos as opposition demands caretaker government

British Opposition parties launched rival campaigns to topple Prime Minister Boris Johnson and stop him taking Britain out of the European Union without a deal, illustrating fractures in the anti-Brexit movement that make neither scheme likely to succeed.

Johnson has promised to push through Brexit by October 31, with or without

a deal, setting the scene for a showdown in parliament where a majority of lawmakers are opposed to an EU divorce without a transition agreement.

With parliament the main obstacle to Johnson’s “do or die” pledge, lawmakers are urgently seeking a way to remove him or change the law to delay Brexit.

Jeremy Corbyn, the veteran socialist leader of the Labour Party, said

lawmakers should support a vote of no confidence and back him to lead a “strictly time-limited temporary government”

that would postpone Brexit and hold an election.

“This government has no mandate for No Deal, and the 2016 EU referendum provided no mandate for No Deal,” Corbyn said. “I therefore intend to table a vote of no confidence at the earliest opportunity when we can be confident of success.”

A handful of lawmakers from Johnson’s own Conservative Party said they would listen to Corbyn’s

proposals.

However, his chances of success were crippled by the leader of the antiBrexit Liberal Democrat party, Jo Swinson, who said Corbyn was not the right figurehead for an emergency government.

“We are facing a national crisis. We may need an emergency government to resolve it but if Jeremy Corbyn truly wants that to succeed, surely even he can see, he cannot lead it,” she said. —

This government has no mandate for No Deal, and the 2016 EU referendum provided no mandate for No Deal Jeremy Corbyn

leader of the Labour Party

london — Britain’s opposition Labour Party began its campaign to bring down Prime Minister Boris Johnson, urging lawmakers to back a no-confidence vote and unite behind a caretaker government led by Jeremy Corbyn to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

Johnson has promised to take Britain out of the European Union by October 31, with or without a deal, setting the scene for a showdown in parliament where lawmakers are opposed to a divorce without a transition agreement.

However, the scale of the challenge facing anti-Brexit forces was immediately made clear when the leader of pro-EU party the Liberal Democrats described the proposal as nonsense and Labour leader Corbyn as the wrong man for the job.

In a letter to opposition party leaders and several senior rebel Conservatives, Corbyn said his “strictly time-limited temporary government” would delay Brexit and hold an election.

He said Labour would then campaign in the election for a second referendum on the Brexit terms,

including an option as to whether Britain should remain after all.

“This government has no mandate for No Deal, and the 2016 EU referendum provided no mandate for No Deal,” Corbyn said. “I therefore intend to table a vote of no confidence at the earliest opportunity when we can be confident of success.” A spokeswoman for Johnson’s Downing Street office said the Labour leader was showing contempt for the 2016 referendum. “Jeremy Corbyn believes that the people are the servants and politicians can cancel public votes they don’t like,” she said.

Lawmakers return from their summer break on September 3 for a battle over Brexit that will determine the fortunes of the world’s fifth-largest economy. Labour’s business spokeswoman said a challenge in parliament could come days later.

Johnson, who led the 2016 campaign to leave the EU, has staked his premiership on getting Britain out by October 31 and accused lawmakers standing in his way of “collaborating” with Brussels. His approach has prompted politicians from all sides to try to stop him but they have failed yet to agree on a united way forward.

Johnson has a working majority in parliament of just one seat, including several lawmakers who have said they could vote to bring down the government. —

This government has no mandate for No Deal, and the 2016 EU referendum provided no mandate for No Deal Jeremy Corbyn, Labour leader