Johnson tells Tory MPs to fall in line

British PM threatens to expel party members who oppose EU exit plan

LONDON— British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sharply raised the stakes in the Brexit fight on Monday, threatening to kick members of Parliament out of the Conservative Party if they don’t support his plans to leave the European Union next month. The move comes as Johnson and his opponents position themselves for a fierce showdown over Brexit on Tuesday when Parliament returns from its summer recess.

Across-party group of opposition legislators, led by Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn, plan to introduce legislation to block Britain from leaving the EU without an agreement in place to regulate trade, border security and other critical issues — the so-called no-deal Brexit.

Most lawmakers in Parliament oppose leaving without an exit plan, something many analysts say could be economically damaging and lead to food and medicine shortages. Johnson has dismissed those predictions as fearmongering.

Conservative rebels reacted angrily to Johnson’s threat to force them out of the party, which would mean they could not run as Conservative candidates in future elections. A general election, as soon as the next few weeks, is a possibility if Johnson and his opponents fail to reach agreement over Brexit.

This week’s battles in Parliament will also centre on Johnson’s plan to suspend Parliament for five weeks, starting as early as Sunday, which will sharply limit the amount of time legislators have to debate the terms of the Oct. 31 Brexit.

Corbyn gave a speech Monday saying that Johnson’s opponents will do “everything necessary to pull our country back from the brink.”

“A no-deal Brexit is really a Trump-deal Brexit, leading to a one-sided United States trade deal that will put us at the mercy of Donald Trump and the biggest American corporations,” he said.

Parliament is scheduled to meet for just three days this week. A flash point in this week’s skirmishes will come Wednesday, when Johnson holds his first “Prime Minister’s Questions” in the House.