British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will limit parliament’s opportunity to derail his Brexit plans by cutting the amount of time it sits between now and EU exit day on Oct. 31, infuriating opponents who accused him of a constitutional outrage.
In his boldest move yet to take the country out of the European Union with or without a divorce deal, Johnson said he would set Oct. 14 for the Queen’s Speech – the formal state opening of a new session of parliament where he will set out his government’s legislative agenda.
“THERE WILL BE AMPLE TIME ON BOTH SIDES”
That would effectively shut parliament from mid-September for around a month and reduce the parliamentary time in which lawmakers could try to block a no-deal Brexit. The news sent the pound down sharply against the euro and dollar.
Asked in a broadcast interview if he was trying to block politicians from delaying Britain’s departure from the EU, Johnson replied: “That is completely untrue. There will be ample time on both sides of that crucial October 17 (European Union leaders’) summit, ample time in parliament for MPs (Members of Parliament) to debate the EU, to debate Brexit and all the other issues, ample time.”
More than three years after the United Kingdom voted 52% to 48% to quit the European Union, it is still unclear on what terms – or indeed whether – the bloc’s second largest economy will leave the club it joined in 1973.
With just 65 days until exit day, parliamentarians are battling to prevent the prime minister from steering the country out of the EU without a transitional deal, pitching one of Europe’s most stable countries into a constitutional crisis.
On Tuesday, the leaders of Britain’s opposition parties joined forces to seek to use parliamentary procedure to force Johnson to delay Brexit beyond Oct. 31..