People vs Boris Johnson

British Prime Minister, by trying to circumvent parliament on Brexit, shows disdain for democratic institutions

Boris Johnson Brexit, Brexit, Brexit news, Brexit UK, UK Brexit, EU Brexit, Brexit Boris Johnson, European Union, Indian Express, latest news, World news — Since June 2016, when the people of Britain voted by a slender majority to leave the EU, the country’s political class has been unable to form a consensus on the modalities of the exit.

Last week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sought to justify the proroguing of the UK Parliament for over a month by claiming it is “normal procedure”. It is not. The most that Johnson — a prime minister who was selected by a section of the Conservative Party and who hasn’t faced a general election — can claim is that he has not technically broken the law. In fact, by asking the Queen to suspend the House of Commons till just 10-12 days before the October 31 Brexit deadline, Johnson has shown complete disdain for the British people, the forum in which their representatives make their voice heard, and for Westminster-style democracy itself. Ironically, among the issues that Johnson and other “leavers” had cited as reasons for Britain leaving the European Union three years ago was that the EU curtailed the powers of the country’s parliament and the will of the British people.