The Brexit drama switches venues from Brussels to the UK Supreme Court on Tuesday for hearings on Boris Johnson’s explosive decision to suspend parliament for over a month.

The British prime minister’s first talks Monday with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and top EU negotiator Michel Barnier ended with an admonishment from Brussels.

Juncker’s office said Johnson was reminded that “it is the UK’s responsibility to come forward with legally operational solutions” to the existing divorce deal that the British parliament refuses to accept.

“Such proposals have not yet been made.”

Johnson countered that there was a “good chance” of striking a new agreement if there was “movement” from Brussels.

“If we can get that done, we’re at the races,” he said.

But Johnson’s political hand in the run-up to Britain’s October 31 departure could be weakened by 11 judges who will hear the parliamentary suspension challenge on Tuesday.

Court proceedings could last until Thursday and the timing of any ruling is uncertain.

Lying to the queen?

The Supreme Court’s entry into the three-and-a-half year saga stems from Johnson’s “do or die” promise to take Britain out of the EU without any further delay.

Johnson suspended parliament until October 14 in what his critics cry was a blatant bid to keep his pro-European opponents from trying to get Brexit delayed.

The government counters that parliament is dissolved yearly at the end of every session and that Johnson was simply clearing the way for a new agenda following Theresa May’s resignation in July.

The court must now rule on Johnson’s motivation and whether it has the right to make political adjudications at all.

The High Court in England has sided with Johnson while its Scottish counterpart called the suspension “unlawful”.

London’s Queen Mary University law professor Sionaidh Douglas-Scott said the Supreme Court the highest legal authority in all of Britain has not faced a case of this kind since the 1600s.

She said the verdict could have monumental consequences not only for Brexit but also how the world’s oldest parliamentary democracy functions down the line.

“If parliament is prorogued (suspended) with no remedy available then the balance of power is tipped far too heavily to the executive,” she told AFP.

Former prime minister David Cameron the Conservative leader who resigned after losing the Brexit referendum in 2016 — said he also thought Johnson was “trying to restrict the debate”.

“It looked to me, from the outside, like rather sharp practice of trying to restrict the debate,” he said.

A defeat for Johnson would leave him open to charges that he has effectively lied to Queen Elizabeth II, who gave the formal order to suspend parliament.

Britain’s beloved monarch is the formal head of state and has little choice but to trust the prime minister when he asks her to end parliamentary sessions.

Johnson is already skirting the edges of the law by insisting that he would rather be “dead in a ditch” than ask his European counterparts to postpone Brexit for a third time.

Parliament has passed a law forcing him to ask the other European leaders for a delay if no compromise emerges from an October 17-18 EU summit in Brussels.

Johnson’s hand is helped by widespread fears of what a chaotic “no-deal” end to Britain’s 46-year involvement in the European project would have on businesses and the public.

The government has been forced to publish documents warning that this outcome could spark civil unrest and shortages of food and medicines.

Small groups of more moderate MPs on both sides of the political divide have reportedly expressed a willingness to back a compromise agreement.

The European Union would also prefer to avoid getting blamed for helping push one of its main members out without any safety arrangements.

But its leaders refuse to sign off on any deal that muddies the bloc’s trading borders something they accuse Britain of trying to do.

(AFP)

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was dealt a fresh blow on Thursday when his brother Jo quit the government, saying he could no longer reconcile “family loyalty and national interest”.

Jo Johnson had campaigned strongly against Britain’s exit from the European Union in 2016, a position that put him at odds with his older and more famous brother Boris.

But he took a job in his brother’s government as universities and science minister, a position he had held previously.

“It’s been an honour to represent Orpington (a London suburb) for nine years & to serve as a minister under three prime ministers,” Jo Johnson tweeted.

“In recent weeks I’ve been torn between family loyalty and the national interest — it’s an unresolvable tension & time for others to take on my roles as MP & minister.”

Like many families in Britain, the Johnsons were deeply divided over Brexit — a third sibling, Rachel, and their father Stanley also wanted to stay in the EU.

Stanley worked for the European Commission in the 1970s and then served as a Conservative MEP, while Rachel ran unsuccessfully for the European Parliament in elections this year for the anti-Brexit Change UK party.

The resignation of Jo Johnson, who like his brother Boris is a former journalist, comes after 22 MPs left the governing Conservative party this week.

One MP defected to the pro-European Liberal Democrats and 21 were expelled for voting against the prime minister’s Brexit strategy.

His resignation also comes the day after MPs voted to legislate to stop Boris Johnson taking Britain out of the European Union without a divorce deal on October 31.

Deputy leader Tom Watson tweeted: “Once again, the people who trust Boris Johnson least are the ones who know him best.”

Pollster Joe Twyman tweeted: “It’s going to be a hell of a Christmas lunch in the Johnson household”.

BBC journalist David Cornock quipped: “A rare case of a politician resigning to spend less time with his family”.

(AFP)

Once again at the EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, all eyes are on TV sets to see how the political turmoil in London will play out. Inside the building the bloc’s 28 commissioners have been meeting to agree on final plans designed to offset the effects of a no-deal Brexit. 

But experts say there is no way that businesses heavily dependent on the UK market can prepare for a no-deal scenario. If it happens, and it’s now looking almost certain, then many thousands of jobs will be lost, according to economists. The remaining 27 EU nations will be badly hit but the UK will come off worst, we are told.

However, there is another important statistic for those who claim the United States is the answer to Britain’s looming trade woes. Currently just 15% of UK exports go to the US and according to analysts it would take years for London and Washington to agree on a new trade deal. 

It is no secret that EU leaders cannot stand Boris Johnson. They believe his agenda is for the UK to crash out without a deal. At present the EU is standing firm in its position that the Brexit withdrawal agreement, reached with Theresa May, cannot be renegotiated unless credible concrete proposals are presented by Johnson. The EU’s 508 million citizens are waiting to see what happens next.

Source: Presstv

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson braced for another showdown in parliament on Wednesday after a humiliating defeat over his Brexit strategy, with MPs set to vote on a law aimed at blocking a no-deal departure.

Johnson has said he will seek an early general election if MPs vote against him again, intensifying a dramatic political crisis ahead of his October 31 Brexit deadline.

Johnson has vowed to take Britain out of the EU on October 31 whether or not a divorce deal with Brussels is in place, more than three years after the referendum vote to leave the European Union.

But his opponents warn that Brexit without a deal will have disastrous economic consequences and must be avoided.

In a sign of the government’s determination, finance minister Sajid Javid will also on Wednesday unveil another £2 billion (2.2 billion euros, $2.4 billion) of funding to deal with Brexit, including for new port infrastructure.

– ‘Johnson loses control’ –

But Johnson’s Conservative government is in disarray.

It lost its working majority in parliament on Tuesday after one of its MPs switched to the anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats and, a few hours later, it expelled 21 MPs from the party for voting against the government.

“Humiliation for Johnson as Tory rebels turn against him,” read the front-page of the left-wing Guardian newspaper, while The Independent wrote: “Johnson loses control”.

But the strongly eurosceptic Daily Express said rebel MPs had voted “to betray Brexit” and called Tuesday’s vote “another shameful day in our so-called democracy”.

The rebels included Conservative Party grandees such as Ken Clarke, the longest-serving member of parliament, and Nicholas Soames, Winston Churchill’s grandson.

They joined with opposition lawmakers to inflict a first blow against Johnson’s hardline Brexit strategy.

That opened the way for a vote on Wednesday on a law which would force Johnson to delay Brexit by three months if he does not strike a deal with the EU by October 19.

MPs are due to finish voting on the law by around 1800 GMT.

After a lengthy and heated session of parliament, Johnson said that the proposed legislation would undermine his discussions with Brussels on a new divorce deal and would cause “more dither, more delay and more confusion”.

But Johnson’s critics say his claim that he wants a new deal with Brussels is a sham and the EU has said Britain is yet to come forward with “any concrete proposals”.

“I don’t want an election but if MPs vote tomorrow to stop the negotiations and to compel another pointless delay of Brexit, potentially for years, then that will be the only way to resolve this,” Johnson said on Tuesday.

– ‘Take no deal off the table’ –

Aides have previously said that any poll would be held before a crucial EU summit on October 17 and 18.

Under British election law, a parliamentary majority of two-thirds is required to hold an early election meaning that the main opposition Labour Party must support it.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday said he was in favour of an election but only once the legislation was passed “in order to take no deal off the table”.

The decision on whether or not to extend the October 31 deadline has to be taken by all 28 EU leaders unanimously.

Johnson caused widespread anger among parliamentarians last week with his decision to drastically reduce the number of days MPs will be able to meet before the Brexit deadline in what was seen as a move to try to curb his opponents.

A judge is due to issue a ruling on the decision later on Wednesday in one of three ongoing legal challenges.

Source: AFP

The European Union (EU)’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Saturday the bloc will not change the divorce deal agreed with Britain and that he is “not optimistic” about avoiding a no-deal outcome.

Barnier said the most contentious element of the agreement, the so-called backstop mechanism aimed at keeping the Northern Irish border open in all circumstances, must remain.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who took power last month, has called for the provision to be scrapped in order to reach a new deal ahead of the country’s latest October 31 departure date.

Johnson has said he was encouraged in his bid to ax the backstop by recent meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, who appeared to suggest an openness to alternatives.

But writing in Britain’s Sunday Telegraph, Barnier said Brussels remained unconvinced after “intense discussions with EU member states on the need to guarantee the integrity of the EU’s Single Market, while keeping that border fully open.”

“The backstop is the maximum amount of flexibility that the EU can offer to a non-member state,” he stated.

“I am not optimistic about avoiding a ‘no deal’ scenario, but I remain determined to explore all avenues that the UK government will present that are compatible with the withdrawal agreement,” Barnier added.

The EU negotiator also said discussions about alternatives to the backstop could not begin until Britain had approved the divorce deal struck with Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, late last year.

It was subsequently rejected three times by British MPs, leading Brexit to be delayed to October 31.

“We are ready to start this work immediately upon ratification of the withdrawal agreement, in parallel to finally creating clarity on our future relationship,” Barnier stated.

He added that if Britain left the EU without a deal, it would be London’s decision.

“Many people in the UK understand that and I would be surprised if they succumb to the idea that the EU is to blame for a difficult political situation in the UK.”

(Source: AFP)

The quest for Irish unity has now spread to Scotland, as demonstrated by Friday evening’s march in Glasgow’s Govan area. 

The lawful march, organised by the James Connolly Flute Band, was set to begin peacefully at Govan’s Elder Park at 18:30, on August 30, before it was forcefully countered by disruptive elements.

The authorities deployed in force with riot police, mounted officers, a police helicopter and dog units as part of a “proportionate” response to the agitation initiated by rival demonstrators.

The peaceful march by supporters of Irish unity was disrupted by “several hundred” counter-demonstrators made up of disparate Scotland-based loyalist groups.

According to the police, agitation by loyalist counter-demonstrators led to “significant disorder”, with the police blocking off Govan Road.

By all credible accounts, the pro-unity march – organised by locals sympathetic to the cause of Irish unity – was peaceful and the situation only became violent and chaotic when local loyalists tried to disrupt the march.

This version of events is corroborated by Police Scotland, whose divisional commander, Chief Superintendent Mark Hargreaves, described the chaotic scenes in the following manner: “Police Scotland has a duty to facilitate processions and any peaceful protest, but this kind of behaviour by persons demonstrating against the parade is utterly unacceptable”.

But in a sign of political manoeuvring, Glasgow City Council tried to pin the blame on both sides, including the originally peaceful pro-Irish unity marchers.

The council tweeted a statement calling the chaotic scenes in Govan “unacceptable”, before adding that the “overwhelming majority” of Glaswegians “want nothing” to do with “these marches or counter-protests”.

Glasgow City Council has historically been dominated by the Scottish Labour Party, who controlled it from 1980 to 2017. Currently no political party has overall control of the council, even though the council leader, Susan Aitken, is a leading member of the Scottish National Party.

The disturbances in Govan come at a critical time in Northern Ireland, where Irish nationalists are bitterly opposed to British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s quest for a hard Brexit.

In late July, the leader of the mainstream Irish Republican group, Sinn Fein, called for a poll on Irish unity following a no-deal Brexit.

Mary Lou McDonald told reporters that she informed the PM that: “In the longer term, we have advised him [Johnson] that constitutional change is in the air. He can’t say that he hasn’t been told”. 

Source: Presstv

Following the Queen’s approval of Boris Johnson’s request to prorogue Parliament, a flurry of attacks came in from all walks of life, including from Labour MP, Kate Osamor, who suggested on Twitter that the Monarchy should be abolished.

Ms Osamor, the MP for Edmonton, tweeted that the “Queen did not save us” after her approval of the Prime Minister’s prorogue to temporarily close down the House of Commons from the second week of September until October 14.

“The Queen should look at what happened to her cousin Tino, ex King of Greece, when you enable a right wing coup! Monarchy abolished!” she added in her tweet.

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, when she will give her Speech to open a new session of Parliament.

Other opposition leaders and the public have also written in protest to the impending prorogation.

Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said he “protested in the strongest possible terms on behalf of my party” to the Queen and called for a meeting alongside other opposition members of the Privy Council.

Senior Labour MP, Yvette Cooper, also weighted in by saying Boris Johnson 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”.

A recent online petition has gained over 1.4 million signatures in favor of stopping Mr. Johnson from proroguing or dissolving Parliament.

The prorogue of parliament by Johnson and the approval by the Queen is being condemned as a “constitutional outrage” by the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow.

Experts say that if MPs launch a successful no-confidence vote against Boris Johnson, to challenge his proroguing of parliament, the monarch could be in a difficult position if the Tory leader refuses to resign.

The unelected duo of the Queen and Boris Johnson could potentially have more treacherous surprises down the road for the elected voices of the Commons, who are demanding that Government follow the direction of the people.

Culled from Presstv

British PM Boris Johnson has caused a major surprise by asking the Queen to suspend the House of Commons just days after the end of the summer parliamentary recess in September. 

Johnson’s move is set to deepen Britain’s political crisis in the closing stages of the tortuous Brexit process.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday (August 18) that she would meet British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday (August 21) evening to discuss Britain’s planned departure from the European Union, adding that Berlin was also prepared for a disorderly Brexit.

Johnson is seeking to persuade European Union leaders to reopen Brexit talks or face the prospect of its second-largest member leaving abruptly on Oct. 31 with no deal in place to mitigate the economic shock a move that businesses expect would cause major disruption.

“We are prepared for any outcome, we can say that, even if we do not get an agreement. But at all events I will make an effort to find solutions up until the last day of negotiations,” Merkel said during a panel discussion at the Chancellery.

“I think it’s always better to leave with an agreement than without one. But if that’s not possible, we’ll be prepared for the alternative as well.”

The Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported that Johnson would tell Merkel that the British parliament could not stop Brexit.

(Source: Reuters)