EDINBURGH, Sept 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — British premier Boris Johnson faced calls Thursday to reverse his suspension of parliament after a Scottish court ruled it illegal.
The government has appealed the Scottish court ruling, with the
case set to be heard in the Supreme Court next Tuesday, and parliament will
for now stay shut.
Johnson has said suspending — or proroguing — parliament until Oct
14 is a routine move to allow his government to launch a new legislative
agenda.
But critics accuse him of trying to silence opposition to his plan to
leave the European Union on Oct 31, even if he has not agreed exit terms with Brussels.
Johnson argues that while he is working to get a deal, Britain must leave
the bloc regardless, three years after the referendum vote for Brexit.
Before it was suspended on Tuesday, the House of Commons rushed through legislation to force Johnson to delay Brexit if there is no deal by an EU summit on Oct 17.
Wednesday’s court ruling sparked calls for parliament to be recalled, and
a group of MPs protested outside the building.
“I urge the prime minister to immediately recall parliament so we can
debate this judgement and decide what happens next,” said Labour’s Brexit
spokesman Keir Starmer.
Later, Johnson took questions from the public in a live address on
Facebook, where he was asked if he was the “leader of an authoritarian
regime”.
“I must respectfully disagree with you,” he replied, adding: “What we’re
trying to do is to implement the result of the 2016 referendum.”
The Scottish court challenge was brought by 78 British lawmakers, who said
it was unlawful for Johnson to advise Queen Elizabeth II to prorogue
parliament if the aim was to limit consideration of Brexit.
A lower court last week ruled that the advice was a matter of political
judgement — but this was overruled by the Inner House, Scotland’s supreme civil court.
In a summary judgement released Wednesday, the court added that Johnson’s advice “was motivated by the improper purpose of stymying parliament and that it, and what has followed from it, is unlawful”.
A spokesman for Johnson’s government said it was “disappointed” by the
decision and would appeal to the Supreme Court.
“The UK government needs to bring forward a strong domestic legislative
agenda. Proroguing parliament is the legal and necessary way of delivering
this,” he said.
Johnson took office in July promising to finally deliver on the referendum
decision by leaving the EU on Oct 31, no matter what.
But he has no majority in the Commons, and MPs will not let him leave
without a deal — or allow him to call an early election that might bolster
his position.
Johnson wants to renegotiate the divorce terms struck by his predecessor
Theresa May, which MPs have rejected.
But EU leaders accuse him of offering no alternative.
Johnson, whose EU adviser David Frost is currently in Brussels, insisted
his government was making “great progress” towards getting a deal.
“The ice floes are cracking, there is movement under the keel of these
talks,” he said.
However, he denied speculation that he was softening his opposition to the
most contentious aspect of May’s deal, the so-called backstop.
This is a plan to maintain an open border between British Northern Ireland
and EU member Ireland by keeping Britain within the bloc’s customs union — something eurosceptics find unacceptable.
“Given the uncertainty and lack of clarity regarding the timing and format
that the United Kingdom exit will take, preparing for a no-deal Brexit is the
most sensible and it is the safest option,” Ireland’s Finance Minister
Paschal Donohoe told reporters Wednesday. — NNN-AGENCIES
