Court bids on to stop Johnson suspending UK parliament

Corbyn terms move ‘smash-and-grab against democracy’

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's suspension of parliament weeks before Britain's EU departure date faced legal challenges yesterday following a furious outcry from pro-Europeans and MPs opposed to a no-deal Brexit. The Conservative leader announced the surprise decision Wednesday to dismiss parliament -- known as proroguing -- for nearly five weeks next month, claiming it was necessary to allow him to pursue a "bold and ambitious" new domestic agenda.

But the move sent shockwaves through the British political system, which relies on centuries of precedents and conventions instead of a codified constitution. Opponents labelled the suspension a "coup" and a "constitutional outrage" and it prompted immediate court bids in London and Edinburgh to halt the process.

Gina Miller, a businesswoman and leading anti-Brexit campaigner, said she had applied for an urgent judicial review challenging "the effect and the intention" of the suspension.

"We think that this request is illegal," said Miller, who in 2017 successfully won MPs the right to vote on formally starting to leave the EU in a court challenge. "There is no example in modern history when prorogation has been used in this way," she told BBC radio.

"It is clearly being used to hamper, in our view, parliament legislating against no deal."

Meanwhile, Scottish National Party (SNP) politician Joanna

Cherry said lawyers had applied for an urgent interim hearing at Scotland’s highest civil court which they hoped would take place as early as Thursday.

However, arch-Brexiteer minister Jacob Rees-Mogg defended the suspension and insisted MPs would still have time to debate Brexit ahead of Britain’s October 31 EU departure date.

“The candyfloss of outrage, which is almost entirely confected, is from people who never wanted to leave the European Union,” he told BBC radio. Thousands of people protested in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and other cities, while an online petition seeking to block the decision had garnered more than 1.2 million signatures by early yesterday. At the biggest rally, crowds gathered near parliament in London chanting “stop the coup” and waving EU flags.

 

Court bids on to stop Johnson suspending UK parliament

Corbyn terms move smash-and-grab against democracy

Prime Minister Boris Johnsons suspension of parliament weeks before Britains EU departure date faced legal challenges yesterday following a furious outcry from pro-Europeans and MPs opposed to a no-deal Brexit. The Conservative leader announced the surprise decision Wednesday to dismiss parliament -- known as proroguing -- for nearly five weeks next month, claiming it was necessary to allow him to pursue a bold and ambitious new domestic agenda. But the move sent shockwaves through the British political system, which relies on centuries of precedents and conventions instead of a codified constitution. Opponents labelled the suspension a coup and a constitutional outrage and it prompted immediate court bids in London and Edinburgh to halt the process. Gina Miller, a businesswoman and leading anti-Brexit campaigner, said she had applied for an urgent judicial review challenging the effect and the intention of the suspension. We think that this request is illegal, said Miller, who in 2017 successfully won MPs the right to vote on formally starting to leave the EU in a court challenge. There is no example in modern history when prorogation has been used in this way, she told BBC radio. It is clearly being used to hamper, in our view, parliament legislating against no deal. Meanwhile, Scottish National Party (SNP) politician Joanna Cherry said lawyers had applied for an urgent interim hearing at Scotlands highest civil court which they hoped would take place as early as Thursday. However, arch-Brexiteer minister Jacob Rees-Mogg defended the suspension and insisted MPs would still have time to debate Brexit ahead of Britains October 31 EU departure date. The candyfloss of outrage, which is almost entirely confected, is from people who never wanted to leave the European Union, he told BBC radio. Thousands of people protested in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and other cities, while an online petition seeking to block the decision had garnered more than 1.2 million signatures by early yesterday. At the biggest rally, crowds gathered near parliament in London chanting stop the coup and waving EU flags.