Johnson acted unlawfully, now he must resign
Humiliated BoJo is under fire from all sides
NICOLA Sturgeon demanded Boris Johnson resign with immediate effect after Britain’s highest civil court ruled he broke the law by shutting down parliament.
The First Minister led calls yesterday for the Tory leader to quit in shame.
Sturgeon said: “It was Boris Johnson who took the decision to prorogue Parliament.
“It was Boris Johnson who acted unlawfully – and I do not say this lightly – but it is Boris Johnson who must now resign.”
A Downing Street source had already insisted that stubborn Johnson will not be budged from office.
Opposition leaders – andthe Scottish Tories – all said the rule of law must be obeyed.
Scottish political leaders spoke out in disgust at Johnson’s disregard for Westminster and devolved parliaments after 11 Supreme Court judges agreed he acted unlawfully in locking MPs out ahead of the Brexit deadline on October 31.
In a landmark ruling for the constitution in London, Lady Hale said Johnson’s advice that the Queen should agree to suspend, or prorogue, Parliament broke the law. “That advice was unlawful,” Lady Hale said. “It was outside the powers of the Prime Minister to give it. This means that it was null and of no effect.”
The First Minister made an emergency statement and warned Scotland’s 12 Tory MPs will be judged severely.
She said: “It should not be lost here that all the Scottish Conservative MPs, who were elected from constituencies that rejected Brexit in the referendum and do not want Brexit now – they certainly do not want a no-deal Brexit – have gone along with the tactics and strategy of the Prime Minister from the moment that he was elected.
“I think that reflects extremely badly on them but it is not my judgment of them that will count. Rather, it will be the judgment of the electorate that counts.”
She said Johnson had shamed his office, the Government, the Tory party and demonstrated Westminster politics is “badly broken”. Sturgeon called on the Government to seek an extension from the EU to extend membership beyond the Halloween deadline.
She added: “This UK Government should be removed from office as soon as possible.
“There is, in truth, no functioning UK Government right now, and, as of today, we know beyond doubt that, to the extent that it is functioning at all, it is a Government that is prepared to ride roughshod over democracy and the law. It is impossible to have confidence in this Prime Minister or the Government he leads. Therefore, as soon as the risk of it being used to force through a no-deal Brexit on October 31, has been removed, there must be a general election.”
Scots Tory leader Jackson Carlaw said: “The judgment clearly upholds the principle that Government is subject to the will of Parliament and that Parliament is therefore not subject to the will of Government – an important consideration for each of us in every parliament.”
Labour’s Brexit brief Alex Rowley said: “The Supreme Court position shows the Prime Minister has acted wrongly in contempt of democracy and that that is an abuse of power by the Prime Minister.” Green party leader Patrick Harvie said Johnson had gone “rogue”.
He added: “He is someone who, throughout his career, has shown contempt for the truth, he has shown contempt for Parliament, he has shown contempt for devolution and – even though it’s out of character for me to stand up for the Queen – he’s shown contempt for a monarchy he professes to believe in.”
Alister Jack, Scottish Secretary in the UK Government, said: “As the Prime Minister has made clear, we will respect the Supreme Court’s judgment but we respectfully disagree with the decision of the court.”
It is impossible to have confidence in this PM FIRST MINISTER ON JOHNSON BREAKING LAW