Opposition responds to move to
prorogue UK Parliament
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| The Palace of Wesminster (left), which houses the UK Houses of Parliament (AFP) |
Political opposition to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's move
to suspend Parliament crystalized Thursday amid protests, legal action and a
petition to block the move which has gathered more than 1 million signatures.
By Vatican News
Political opposition to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's move
to suspend Parliament crystalized Thursday amid protests, legal action and a
petition to block the move which has gathered more than 1 million signatures.
The government on Wednesday formally requested Queen
Elizabeth to bring the current Parliament session to an end in September.
Opposition lawmakers contend that he wants to limit the ability of lawmakers to
come up with legislation to block a no-deal Brexit.
Johnson's maneuver gives his political opponents even less
time to prevent a no-deal Brexit before the Oct. 31 withdrawal deadline. But
the decision outraged critics and is serving as a unifying force for the
disparate opposition, who have confirmed they will press on with measures to
block a departure from the European Union without a deal despite Johnson's
actions.
Johnson has insisted that the decision to prorogue
parliament was a means of putting forward the agenda for his new government:
“We’re not going to wait til October the 31st before getting on
with our plans to take this country forward.” He said, “To do that, we need new
legislation, we’ve got to be bringing forward new and important bills, and
that’s why we’re going to have a Queen’s Speech, and we’re going to do it on
October 14th.”
However, the speaker of the lower house of parliament, John
Bercow, said that was a constitutional outrage as it limited the time the
800-year-old heart of English democracy has to debate and shape the course of
British history.
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour party,
similarly attacked the move: “I’ve protested on the very strongest possible
terms, on behalf of my party, and I believe all the other opposition parties
are going to join in with this, and simply saying that suspending parliament is
not acceptable. It’s not on.” He said that when Parliament does meet ahead in
the first week of September, “the first thing we’ll do is attempt legislation
to prevent what he’s doing, secondly, we’ll challenge him on a motion of
confidence at some point.”
Johnson’s formal request to prorogue Parliament was approved
by the Queen on Wednesday. Members of Parliament will return to the assembly
next week, meeting for just a few days before the session is closed, on a date
between 9-12 September. It will then be suspended from for five weeks, with MPs
returning on October 14 for the Queen’s Speech.
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