THE Queen has approved Boris Johnson’s request for permission to suspend then reform the parliament in Westminster.
In what is being labelled a bold move by his opponents, Johnson said that the Queen’s Speech will be set for October 14; this will be the formal state opening of a new parliamentary session, following a suspension of the House of Commons.
That means that Westminter will effectively be closed for a month, starting in mid-September.
The purpose of this, according to the PM, is to introduce legislation to match the promises he made when he was elected leader of the Conservative party.
But his opponents have branded Boris’ move a tactical one, with some going as far to call the newly elected PM a dictator.
Commenting on the controversial announcement, MP Stephen Kerr (Cons, Stirling) said: “I fully understand that the timing of this action, co-inciding with plots and plans trying to stop Brexit, has caused anxiety amongst many.
“My stated ambition has always been to agree a Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, and this remains the case.
“To this end, I believe the Prime Minister’s action drastically increases our chances of a Deal.”
Mr Kerr suggested that the EU will now be on “action stations”, because they know that Boris Johnson it prepared to take Britain out of the EU on Halloween, with or without a deal.
Highlighting the damage that the continued uncertainty is doing, he added: “I am ready and waiting to lend my hand towards helping the Government pass a deal through the House, so we can leave the EU in an orderly and smooth way.
“However, leave we must. The Prime Minister is absolutely right to set a hard deadline, so we can get this done and move on.”
SNP leader and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon voiced her outrage over Johnson’s move in a statement earlier today.
She said: “Shutting down Parliament in order to force through a no-deal Brexit, which will do untold and lasting damage to the country against the wishes of MPs is not democracy, it’s dictatorship.”
Johnson’s move is attracting opposition from all political parties, including his own.
Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, has labelled the PM’s move “an outrageous attack on democracy, while Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson said her party will do everything it can to stop the PM from silencing Parliament and forcing through a ‘no deal’ Brexit.
But Brexiteer Johnson has defended his move.
He said: “There will be ample time on both sides of that crucial October 17 (European Union leaders’) summit, ample time in parliament for MPs to debate the EU, to debate Brexit and all the other issues.”
As uncertainty rules Britain with just over 2 months until deadline day for leaving the European Union, all parties are scrambling to make their cases in point on the issue.
Featured image credit: stephenkerr.org
Fourth-year BA (Hons) Journalism Studies student.
News Editor, Sports Editor and Head of Proofreading for Brig Newspaper.
Sam
This article is amazing as a totally unbiased commentary of a very polarised subject
Sandy
How can anyone honestly say that there is ample time before the 31st October when Westminster with the permission of the EU has delayed Brexit twice? The current MP for Stirling states that his ambition is for a withdrawal deal but brags that his boss is prepared to take the Rump of the UK out of the EU without a deal. His old Boss threatened the same. Scotland, time to pull the emergency shute. #ScotRef