ohnson’s suspension of Parliament just weeks before Britain’s EU departure date has sparked fury and a plot to bring his plan down. 6park.com
The PM faced legal challenges on Thursday amid a furious outcry from pro-Europeans and MPs opposed to a no-deal Brexit. 6park.com
Mr Johnson announced the surprise decision on Wednesday to dismiss Parliament next month for nearly five weeks, claiming his new government needed a fresh start in order to pursue a “bold and ambitious” post-Brexit domestic agenda. 6park.com
But the move ahead of the October 31 Brexit date sent shockwaves through British politics. 6park.com
Mr Johnson’s opponents labelled the suspension of Parliament a “coup” and a “constitutional outrage”. 6park.com
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a backlash. Picture: AP Photo/Rui Vieira
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a backlash. Picture: AP Photo/Rui VieiraSource:AP
The Prime Minister insists Britain must leave the European Union on time, with or without a divorce deal — and the move limits his opponents’ room for manoeuvre. 6park.com
It prompted immediate court bids in London, Edinburgh and Belfast to halt the process. 6park.com
An interim ruling is expected in the Edinburgh case on Friday. 6park.com
Major protests were planned for Saturday as politicians scrambled for ways to counter Mr Johnson. 6park.com
The leaders of the six opposition parties in Parliament condemned Mr Johnson’s “undemocratic” actions in a joint statement, saying they believed a majority of MPs were against the move. 6park.com
“We demand that the Prime Minister reverses this decision immediately or allows MPs to vote on whether there should be one,” they said of the suspension. 6park.com
“The Prime Minister is shutting down Parliament with the sole aim of stopping MPs from avoiding a no-deal Brexit. 6park.com
“Voters are being deprived of the opportunity to have their representatives hold the government to account.” 6park.com
Anti-Brexit protesters are planning a major march on Saturday. Picture: AP Photo/Frank Augstein
Anti-Brexit protesters are planning a major march on Saturday. Picture: AP Photo/Frank AugsteinSource:AP
Labour opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would try to start a parliamentary process that would allow Mr Johnson’s opponents to legislate to prevent Britain leaving the EU without a deal and to stop the suspension of business. 6park.com
Mr Corbyn is also mulling a no-confidence vote in Mr Johnson’s Conservative government, which commands a fragile 320 to 319 majority. 6park.com
Former Conservative finance minister Ken Clarke, Parliament’s longest-serving MP, has been touted as a unity figure to lead a temporary alternative government. 6park.com
If it could lead to a “sensible outcome of the present crisis, then yes,” Mr Clarke said of the idea. 6park.com
As for voting to bring down his own government, Mr Clarke told ITV: “If it’s the only way of stopping us plunging into the disaster of a no-deal Brexit, then yes.” 6park.com
COURT CASES 6park.com
Gina Miller, a businesswoman and leading anti-Brexit campaigner, has applied for an urgent judicial review in London challenging “the effect and the intention” of the suspension. 6park.com
“We think that this request is illegal,” said Ms Miller who in 2017 successfully won MPs the right to vote on formally starting to leave the EU in a court challenge. 6park.com
In Scotland’s highest civil court, 75 parliamentarians are seeking an interim interdict that would stop Mr Johnson suspending Parliament pending a final decision on the case. 6park.com
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was caught on an open microphone at a Helsinki summit saying Parliament was unable to agree what it wanted. 6park.com
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn believes he can stop the PM’s plan. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA via AP
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn believes he can stop the PM’s plan. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA via APSource:AP
“So eventually any leader has to try. I don’t know what the outcome …,” he said, before laughing. 6park.com
A Downing Street source said Mr Wallace “misspoke”. Mr Johnson and the government insist the suspension is completely legal and simply a routine parliamentary procedure without a political objective. 6park.com
Scottish parliamentarian Joanna Cherry, who is bringing the Edinburgh case, said the Minister’s comment “backs up what we contend — that prorogation of Parliament is for an improper purpose and therefore unlawful”. 6park.com
Meanwhile, campaigner Raymond McCord launched a legal bid in Belfast to block Mr Johnson’s move, with a hearing set for Friday. 6park.com
“He’s obviously trying to circumvent Parliament and we say in the context of Northern Ireland that is unconstitutional,” Mr McCord’s lawyer Ciaran O’Hare told AFP. 6park.com
Boris Johnson prorogue: 7 key questions
Boris Johnson prorogue: 7 key questions
What has Boris Johnson done? 6park.com
Johnson said he will suspend - or prorogue - parliament in mid-September, when MPs don’t usually sit anyway due to the party conference season. But they will also have an extra week off in October, giving anti-Brexit lawmakers limited time to legislate against Britain leaving the EU without a deal on October 31.  6park.com
Does the PM have the right to suspend parliament? 6park.com
Johnson argues he is merely following convention, in which the prime minister annually prorogues parliament around this time, ahead of spelling out the government’s programme in the Queen’s Speech.   6park.com
Why are some MPs angry? 6park.com
Johnson’s opponents don’t believe that he is merely setting out his domestic agenda, but is instead trying to limit the time in which parliament could potentially handle the complicated legislation needed to prevent a no-deal Brexit.  6park.com
Can the courts stop it? 6park.com
There is a legal case already running in Scotland, and another in the pipeline in England, arguing that suspending parliament to force through Brexit would be improper.  6park.com
Could the Queen have stepped in? 6park.com
There were some calls for Queen Elizabeth to withhold her assent, but the monarch is bound by convention and approved the request.  6park.com
Can MPs still prevent no-deal? 6park.com
MPs will still sit for a total of around four weeks before October 31, meaning that stopping no-deal “is definitely still possible”, according to analyst Thimont Jack. Previous legislation forcing Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May to ask for a Brexit deadline extension took two days to pass, but the process could be much more difficult this time around. MPs will need to find a way of taking control of the parliamentary timetable, and even if they succeed, Johnson’s “prerogative powers”, which give the government control over treaties, present a “big problem”, said Robert Craig, a constitutional expert at Durham University.  6park.com
Does it make an election more likely? 6park.com
With the legislative route looking more arduous, MPs could decide that defeating Johnson in a vote of no confidence and triggering a general election is the best path forward. MPs would have 14 days in such a scenario to form an alternative government that could sign a Brexit extension. But they have so far failed to unite around a lead candidate. If Johnson or an alternative figure cannot win a confidence vote within the 14 days, a general election would be triggered. But there is no guarantee that it could take place before October 31. 6park.com
1.5M SIGN PETITION 6park.com
An online petition seeking to block the decision unless Brexit is delayed or cancelled had garnered more than 1.5 million signatures on Thursday. 6park.com
Thousands of people protested on Wednesday in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and other cities. 6park.com
General protests are planned outside arliament and around Britain on Saturday. Labour’s leftist faction Momentum urged members to “occupy bridges and blockade roads”. 6park.com
Meanwhile, leftists will rally outside Parliament on Tuesday demanding an immediate general election. 6park.com
The pound has come under renewed pressure after the government moved to prorogue parliament for five weeks, fuelling fears of a no-deal Brexit. Picture: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images
The pound has come under renewed pressure after the government moved to prorogue parliament for five weeks, fuelling fears of a no-deal Brexit. Picture: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images
After its longest session in nearly 400 years, Parliament will now close in mid-September and reopen on October 14 — just over two weeks before Brexit. 6park.com
The House of Commons typically goes into recess around the annual party conference season, which kicks off on September 14 and ends on October 2, but critics slam this lengthier break. 6park.com
The pound was stable on Thursday after sliding on news of the suspension.