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Boris Johnson’s ‘Explosive’ Move to Get His Way on Brexit: Suspend Parliament

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‘We’re Not Going to Wait’: Boris Johnson on Parliamentary Delay

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that he would lengthen an upcoming parliamentary break. Limiting the amount of time to debate Brexit could increase the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit.

We’re not going to wait until October the 31st before getting on with our plans to take this country forward. And this is a new government with a very exciting agenda to make our streets safer. It’s very important we bring violent crime down. We need to invest in our fantastic N.H.S. We need to level up education funding across the country. We need to invest in the infrastructure that’s going to take this country forward for decades. And we need to deal with the cost of living, moving to a high wage, high productivity economy, which is I think what this country needs to be. And to do that, we need new legislation. We’ve got to be bringing forward new and important bills. And that’s why we are going to have a queen’s speech and we’re going to do it on October the 14th and we’ve got to move ahead now with a new legislative program.

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that he would lengthen an upcoming parliamentary break. Limiting the amount of time to debate Brexit could increase the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit.CreditCredit...Pool photo by Dylan Martinez

LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson turned to Britain’s queen on Wednesday to limit Parliament’s ability to challenge his plan to take the country out of the European Union in nine weeks, with or without a deal.

Mr. Johnson asked Queen Elizabeth II to suspend Parliament in September, a move that will cut the already dwindling number of days lawmakers have to find an alternative path ahead of the looming Brexit deadline on Oct. 31.

The startling maneuver, Mr. Johnson’s boldest move since taking office a month ago, was immediately denounced by the opposition as undemocratic and possibly unconstitutional, and even a former prime minister in Mr. Johnson’s own Conservative party said the decision could be challenged in the courts.

[Boris Johnson’s move united a normally fractious opposition.]

The speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, called Mr. Johnson’s decision a “constitutional outrage.” Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, denounced it as “reckless,” while the party’s finance policy spokesman, John McDonnell, called it a “very British coup.”

The British pound fell on the news, and a “#StoptheCoup” hashtag began trending on Twitter as protesters gathered outside 10 Downing Street, the prime minister’s residence in London.

[With Brexit gambit, Boris Johnson reveals a ruthless side.]

Normally, in times of national crisis, British leaders have convened Parliament. But as the country confronts its biggest crisis in many decades, Mr. Johnson’s decision to do the opposite and initiate a confrontation with lawmakers follows a long standoff over Brexit between the Conservative government and a divided Parliament.

Three times Mr. Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, brought a deal to Parliament she had negotiated with the European Union over the terms of Britain’s withdrawal, which the country’s voters had called for in a 2016 referendum. Three times the deal was rejected, leading Mrs. May to resign and Mr. Johnson to replace her.

Even before Mr. Johnson’s controversial step, Parliament was facing a constricted schedule in any effort to prevent Britain from leaving the bloc without a deal, which economists say would be economically damaging.

Parliament had been scheduled to meet during the first two weeks of September and then to take a three-week break for annual political party conferences. It was scheduled to reconvene around Oct. 9.

[Bold move or coup? Social media erupts, and even the queen is not spared.]

But in a letter sent Wednesday to all members of Parliament, Mr. Johnson said he intended to ask Queen Elizabeth II to “prorogue,” or suspend, Parliament for a further week and to have it resume on Oct. 14 with the “Queen’s speech,” in which the monarch traditionally lays out the government’s agenda.

The monarch’s approval is considered a formality, and hours after the announcement, the government said that the queen had approved the request.

The formal suspension of Parliament poses a number of significant challenges to the opposition. For one, any legislation developed in the first two weeks in September when Parliament will still meet does not carry over to the new parliamentary session if not passed, meaning lawmakers will have to start from scratch.

Wednesday’s move also forecloses any attempt by the opposition to shorten the three-week break to allow for more time to address Brexit — something lawmakers were considering. On top of that, the period of the queen’s speech is likely to take up several critical days, as Parliament debates the slate of proposals put forth.

All those obstacles reinforce Mr. Johnson’s core goal with Wednesday’s maneuver: making sure Parliament has as little time as possible to mount an effective challenge to his commitment to leave the European Union on Oct. 31, without a deal if necessary.

[What a no-deal Brexit might mean, and why it matters.]

In a video interview on Wednesday morning, Mr. Johnson said he had made his decision in order to progress with “our plans to take this country forward” and to “get on with our domestic agenda.”

Boris Johnson Wants To Cut 5 Days From the Legislative Calendar, Pushing Parliament Closer to the Brexit Deadline

Before Boris Johnson’s latest move,

Parliament had about five weeks in session to debate a Brexit deal.

September

1

2

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Parliament

returns

8

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Break for party

conferences

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October

1

2

3

4

5

Parliament scheduled

to return

6

7

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9

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18

19

E.U. summit

20

21

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27

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29

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31

31

Britain leaves the E.U.

But Mr. Johnson introduced a new parliamentary

session and delayed the return of lawmakers, leaving

less than three weeks until the Brexit deadline.

September

Brexit legislation

introduced

during these two weeks

will not carry over

into the new session

1

2

3

4

5

6

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9

10

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October

1

2

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9

10

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New session,

queen’s speech

and debates

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

E.U. summit

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

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29

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Britain leaves the E.U.

300px

Before Boris Johnson’s latest move,

Parliament had about five weeks in session to debate a Brexit deal.

Sept.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Parliament

returns

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

Break for party

conferences

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

1

2

3

4

5

Oct.

Parliament

scheduled

to return

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

E.U. summit

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

Britain leaves

the E.U.

27

28

29

30

31

31

But Mr. Johnson introduced a new parliamentary

session and delayed the return of lawmakers, leaving less than three weeks until the

Brexit deadline.

Sept.

Brexit legislation

introduced

during these two

weeks will not

carry over into

the new session

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

1

2

3

4

5

Oct.

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

New session,

queen’s speech

and debates

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

Britain leaves

the E.U.

27

28

29

30

31

31

By Allison McCann

But his ploy is risky. Just how risky became clear Wednesday evening with reports that the widely admired Conservative leader in Scotland, Ruth Davidson, unable to defend Mr. Johnson’s Brexit policies, was on the verge of resigning.

John Major, the Conservative prime minister who succeeded Margaret Thatcher in 1990, said in a statement to the BBC on Wednesday that he was seeking legal advice.

“I have no doubt that the prime minister’s motive in seeking prorogation is to bypass a sovereign Parliament that opposes his policy,” he said. “As events unfold I will continue to seek advice on the legality of this and other matters.”

While Mr. Johnson’s maneuver seemed like a bolt out of the blue, it was telegraphed weeks ago by his chief strategist, Dominic Cummings. It also seemed timed to inflict maximum damage on the efforts of opponents of a no-deal Brexit, who had agreed just the day before to coordinate a legislative assault on a no-deal Brexit.

The prime minister’s strike against the anti-Brexit forces conforms to a strategy he developed during the campaign for the Conservative Party leadership earlier in the summer, when he promised to withdraw Britain from the European Union by Oct. 31, “do or die.”

He has maintained that stance ever since, and some analysts see it as a tactic leading up to a general election that many consider inevitable.

Keeping open the possibility of a no-deal exit is the only source of leverage Mr. Johnson has as he tries to persuade the European Union to accept changes in the withdrawal deal that will make it acceptable to a Parliament that has already voted it down three times.

His hard-line stance also guards against the electoral threat of the Brexit Party of Nigel Farage, whose raison d’être is Brexit at any cost.

Image
Parliament was scheduled to reconvene on Oct. 9, but Mr. Johnson said he planned to extend its break.Credit...Niklas Halle'N/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

In the event of an election, Mr. Johnson’s adamantly pro-Brexit stance will enable him to present himself as the champion of the people against a Parliament that has betrayed voters’ desire to leave the bloc.

“I suspect Number 10 believes it has created a win-win scenario with this explosive announcement,” Craig Oliver, who was director of communications for Prime Minister David Cameron, wrote on Twitter. “Yes — and they get Brexit by October 31st; No — and they get to fight a ‘people versus parliament’ general election.”

There is at least one intraparty potential drawback to Mr. Johnson’s maneuver.

Some Conservative lawmakers in the rebel ranks had been pulling back from the prospect of voting against the government in the next two weeks because of speculation that the prime minister was making progress in negotiations with the European Union.

They now may believe they can no longer afford to wait and see. One of the leading Tory rebels, the former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, told Sky News that Mr. Johnson was behaving more “like a revolutionary than a Conservative prime minister — this is tantamount to a coup really against Parliament.”

“He will not find it easy to get his way and disregard the House of Commons and Parliament generally in this fashion,” Mr. Grieve added.

But Mr. Johnson’s allies welcomed his gambit. “In 400 years we haven’t had a session of Parliament that’s lasted as long as this,” Simon Clarke, the Exchequer secretary to the Treasury, wrote on Twitter. “We need a Queen’s Speech to set out a bold agenda for after we leave the E.U.”

The current session of Parliament is the longest since the English civil war of 1642-51.

Eddie Hughes, a Conservative member of Parliament, in a post on Twitter praised Mr. Johnson’s “strong leadership” and urged Britons to give Mr. Johnson the opportunity to withdraw the country from the European Union.

Legal experts said the move appeared to fall within the bounds of Britain’s unwritten constitution, but many saw it as a step on the path to a full-blown constitutional crisis as the fight over Brexit grinds on toward the deadline.

Image
Hours after the prime minister’s announcement, the government said Queen Elizabeth II had approved the request.Credit...Pool photo by Victoria Jones

Yvette Cooper, an opposition Labour lawmaker strongly opposed to a no-deal Brexit, wrote on Twitter: “Boris Johnson is trying to use the Queen to concentrate power in his own hands — this is a deeply dangerous and irresponsible way to govern.”

His move has already provoked one legal challenge, as a court in Edinburgh agreed to take up an appeal by dozens of members of Parliament to block it.

While some social media users expressed disappointment in the queen’s acceding to Mr. Johnson’s request, observers noted that, in modern times, the reigning monarch has always obliged such a request from the government. The situation is a reflection of an unwritten rule of Britain’s political system: The throne remains removed from politics.

An online petition on a government website, demanding that Parliament not be suspended while a Brexit deadline looms, had collected more than one million signatures by Wednesday evening — far more than the 100,000 needed to require Parliament to consider holding a debate on the issue.

A Brexit deal with the European Union would be highly complicated, covering tariffs, product standards, fisheries, immigration, financial services, the border with Ireland and other issues. Mrs. May negotiated a withdrawal agreement that was nearly 600 pages long, just to secure a transition period while long-term arrangements were made. But Parliament consistently rejected it.

Mujtaba Rahman, the managing director for Europe for the Eurasia Group, a consultancy, said that even with the latest twist it was still possible that Mr. Johnson could strike an agreement with the European Union. A meeting of the European Council — set for Oct. 17 and 18 — seems to be the one window of opportunity in this new timeline for Mr. Johnson to secure a deal and win Parliament’s approval.

Regardless of the outcome on Brexit as a result of Mr. Johnson’s move, some thought he had set a dangerous precedent for Britain.

“Whatever one’s views on Brexit, once you allow a prime minister to prevent the full and free operation of our democratic institutions you are on a very precarious path,” said Mr. McDonnell, Labour’s finance spokesman.

A correction was made on 
Aug. 29, 2019

Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the period when the riskiness of Boris Johnson’s strategy became clearer, as reports emerged that a Conservative leader in Scotland was on the verge of resigning. It was Wednesday evening, not Tuesday.

How we handle corrections

Megan Specia, Richard Pérez-Peña and Benjamin Mueller contributed reporting.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: U.K. Leader Moves to Suspend Parliament to Advance Brexit. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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