A Journal of People report
Brexit-battle in the UK is raging. The UK Parliament’s vote to open debate on a motion blocking a no-deal Brexit leaves the UK in a state of chaos not seen in post-WW II period. The chaos has already touched the monarchy there.
The plan to suspend Parliament was heavily criticized by opposition parties and some Conservative MPs.
On Tuesday night in the House of Commons, MPs voted to take control of parliament in a bid to avoid a no-deal exit from the European Union.
On monarchy
Kate Osamor, Labour MP, has said the monarchy could be abolished after the Queen approved Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s request to prorogue the UK Parliament.
The Labour MP for Edmonton, spoke out after the PM said he will temporarily close down the Commons from the second week of September until October 14, when there will be a Queen’s Speech to open a new session of Parliament.
The Queen approved the order on Wednesday afternoon to prorogue Parliament no earlier than September 9 and no later than September 12, until October 14.
It would have been an extreme break with convention if the Queen, who does not interfere in politics, had rejected the request from the PM.
Ms Osamor tweeted that the “Queen did not save us” following her approval of PM Johnson’s request.
She then wrote: “The Queen should look at what happened to her cousin Tino ex King of Greece when you enable a right wing coup! Monarchy abolished!”
The Queen has been dragged into Westminster’s bitter Brexit battle with the prorogue request, with opposition leaders writing to her in protest.
Corbyn
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he “protested in the strongest possible terms on behalf of my party” in a letter to the Queen and called for a meeting alongside other opposition members of the Privy Council.
Senior Labour MP Yvette Cooper said he was “trying to use the Queen to concentrate power in his own hands” while fellow ex-cabinet minister Ben Bradshaw said the move would “drag the monarch into an unprecedented constitutional crisis”.
Anti-Brexit campaigner issues legal proceedings to stop Parliament suspension
Gina Miller, a prominent anti-Brexit campaigner, has issued legal proceedings in an attempt to put a stop to Boris Johnson suspending Parliament.
Ms Miller, who has previously challenged the Government on implementing Brexit without approval from MPs, described the PM’s decision to prorogue Parliament as “shocking”.
Speaking to BBC News, Ms Miller said the PM was “hijacking the Queen’s prerogative power” and using it for “unscrupulous means”.
She added:
“I think that is what so shocking about this, is that it’s a very cowardly way of using these powers and constitutional convention.
“Our unwritten constitution is a bit like a gentleman’s agreement, and you have to say it’s not been used in that manner.”
In 2016, Ms Miller launched a successful legal bid, with judges ruling that MPs would have to vote before the Government could invoke Article 50 to formally start the UK’s exit process from the EU.
Bid to suspend the PM request that Parliament be prorogued
A separate bid has been launched by pro-Remain barrister Jo Maugham, director of the Good Law Project, who has filed a motion asking the Scottish Court of Session to suspend the PM request that Parliament be prorogued.
Former Tory prime minister Sir John Major also said on Wednesday he is seeking advice on the legality of Johnson proroguing Parliament.
More than one million people have signed a petition calling on the PM not to suspend Parliament, while thousands of people rallied for hours outside Parliament on Wednesday night, with smaller demonstrations taking place in other towns and cities.
Treacherous situations
The Queen may face more “treacherous situations” in the weeks ahead after being drawn into the “contentious and divisive” Brexit issue, an expert has said.
Mike Gordon, professor of constitutional law at the University of Liverpool, said if MPs launch a successful no-confidence vote in Boris Johnson, to challenge his proroguing of parliament, the monarch could be in a difficult position if the Tory leader refuses to resign.
If the opposition parties manage to get legislation through parliament to stop a no-deal Brexit, the government could advise the Queen not to give its royal assent and so become law, against accepted convention.
Professor Gordon said about the decision to prorogue Parliament:
“I think this definitely puts the Queen in a potentially tricky position because it’s drawing her into the most contentious and divisive political debate in the UK over the last few years.
“I think it’s effectively a fait accompli in that the Queen is a neutral, a formal, constitutional actor who stands above and apart from politics and she doesn’t really exercise, for the most part, any discretion of her own.
“She acts on the advice of her ministers and in particular her Prime Minister and so when the Prime Minister, through the Privy Council, requests parliament be prorogued, then realistically it’s impossible to imagine the Queen refusing to grant that.”
Could the Queen sack the PM?
Commenting on the possibility of the Prime Minister being ousted by MPs, the academic added:
“If it is the vote of no confidence route, what happens if Boris Johnson loses the vote of no confidence but refuses to resign?”
The academic questioned how the opposition parties would persuade the Queen there is a viable administration waiting in the wings.
He said:
“How, if at all, could they persuade her to sack Boris Johnson and give the alternative government a chance, if he’s refusing to resign?
“So there’s potentially more treacherous things down the road for the Queen.”
Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson told the BBC’s Newsnight program that anti-no-deal MPs could use “arcane and unusual” legislative routes to try to block the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
She added:
“There are legislative avenues being explored between cross-party groups of members of Parliament with legal and constitutional experts looking at how this can be done, and different routes.
“We have got a Government that is prepared to take unprecedented routes and so we are looking at options as well that might be arcane or unusual that could be employed.”
“Parliament surrenders to the EU”: UK press reaction
The reaction of the UK press showed its partisan position. It is also a show of UK politics.
“Parliament surrenders to the EU,” said Daily Express with a front page that suggested it was also a very bad day for Britain.
Its another heading said: “On another shameful day in our so-called democracy rebel MPs vote to betray Brexit as Corbyn vows to block PM’s snap election”.
The Guardian said: “Humiliation for Johnson as Tory rebels turn against him”.
The Times told: “PM loses historic vote” as Johnson became the first PM to lose his first vote in the Commons for over 100 years.
In the aftermath of the vote, Johnson said he would table a motion for a general election because he won’t accept it. That provided the focus for The Daily Telegraph, Johnson’s former employers, headlined: “Johnson demands election”.
The i newspaper both ran with “Johnson loses control”.
The Metro said: “Now the MPs take control.”
The Sun headlined: “Over to you Britain”.
“The Johnson Coup”: Newspapers react to decision to suspend Parliament
Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend the UK Parliament dominated the front pages of UK’s newspapers the following day. The headings were biting.
Reaction in the British press to Johnson’s decision was predictably strong on Thursday, with most papers sternly opposed to the radical manoeuvre and more right-leaning rivals more supportive.
The PM announced that he was going to prorogue Parliament in order to bring the current record-breaking session to a close in order to move forward his government’s new legislative agenda.
His decision led to anger from opposition parties and Remainers and prompted protests outside Parliament on Wednesday night.
Johnson said he wanted to prorogue Parliament in order to bring the current record-breaking session to a close in order to bring forward his Government’s new legislative agenda.
But opposition leaders said the PM is trying to halt their efforts to block a no-deal Brexit.
Johnson’s prorogation plan came just a day after opposition leaders struck a deal to try to block a no-deal Brexit through legislative means.
Johnson said he wanted to prorogue Parliament in order to bring the current record-breaking session to a close in order to bring forward his Government’s new legislative agenda.
But opposition leaders said the PM is trying to halt their efforts to block a no-deal Brexit.
Johnson’s prorogation plan came just a day after opposition leaders struck a deal to try to block a no-deal Brexit through legislative means.
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