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British Prime Minister Suspends Parliament Just Before Brexit


08/30/2019




British Prime Minister Suspends Parliament Just Before Brexit
The United Kingdom parliament would be suspended for a month according to a move by the country’s prime minister Boris Johnson. The country is set to exit the European Union on October 31 and this move by Johnson strips the lawmakers of most of the options to stop a no-deal Brexit.
 
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Wednesday that the amount of time that Parliament is not in session would be extended by the British government.
 
The request of Johnson to suspend parliament from mid-September and re-open it on October 14 has been approved by Queen Elizabeth II. The parliament is set to function again just two weeks before the scheduled Brexit date.
 
A number of MPs view this move by Johnson as an effort by the UK government to prevent lawmakers from trying to prevent a no-deal Brexit. This move is known as prorogation of Parliament.
 
This measure was necessary to "get on with our domestic agenda", said Johnson while introducing his new legislative program. Functions of the parliament would begin again on October 14 with the queen delivering a speech outlining the agenda of the government' for the upcoming session of parliament.
 
However a petition not to suspend the parliament from mid-September to mid-October was signed by more than 1 million people. "Parliament must not be prorogued or dissolved unless and until the Article 50 period has been sufficiently extended or the UK's intention to withdraw from the EU has been canceled," the petition reads.
 
The allegations that the suspension of parliament was aimed to prevent lawmakers from interfering in the Brexit deal have been denied by Johnson. He instead said that the move was to go forward with his domestic agenda. "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, ample time," the prime minister said.
 
There were no comments from the EU about the suspension of the UK parliament. The block however called on to the British government to presents the changes it wants in the Brexit agreement. "Our working assumption is that Brexit should occur on October 31 and that should happen with a deal," Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said. "For that to happen, of course the earlier we see workable proposals, the better."
 
EU leaders are set to meet at a summit in Brussels October 17 – 18 and Johnson is hopeful that his government would be able to renegotiate the Brexit deal with the EU. The EU however has maintained that the last agreement on the UK’s divorce from the EU with former UK prime minister Theresa May is not renegotiable.
 
The UK will leave the EU even without a deal if it is not possible to broker a suitable deal, the British prime minister has said.
 
The current British government is trying to implement a veiled attempt to put to rest any opposition to its Brexit plans, numerous MPs and British political figures have alleged. "This move represents a constitutional outrage. However it is dressed up, it is blindingly obvious that the purpose of prorogation now would be to stop Parliament debating Brexit and performing its duty in shaping a course for the country," John Bercow, the speaker of the House of Commons, told the BBC.
 
(Source:www.dw.com)