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August 29, 2019

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Johnson restricts Brexit debate time

Source: Agencies | 00:00 UTC+8 August 29, 2019 | Print Edition

BRITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson will limit parliament’s ability to derail his Brexit plan by cutting the amount of time it will sit between now and EU exit day on October 31, infuriating opponents who urged Queen Elizabeth to intervene.

In his boldest move yet to take the country out of the European Union with or without a divorce deal, Johnson set October 14 for the Queen’s Speech — the formal state opening of a new session of parliament that is proceeded by a suspension of the House of Commons.

The queen agreed to the date, effectively shutting parliament from mid-September for around a month.

Incensed, opposition leaders wrote to the queen to express their concern and asked for a meeting, threatening to drag the 93-year-old monarch into the constitutional crisis.

“There will be ample time in parliament for MPs (Members of Parliament) to debate the EU, to debate Brexit and all the other issues, ample time,” Johnson told reporters.

Asked if he was trying to block MPs from delaying Britain’s EU departure, he replied: “That is completely untrue.”

While suspending parliament ahead of a Queen’s Speech is the historical norm in Britain, the decision to limit parliamentary scrutiny weeks before the country’s most contentious policy decision in decades prompted an immediate outcry.

It also increased the chances Johnson could face a vote of no-confidence in parliament, potentially leading to an election.

“Make no mistake, this is a very British coup,” John McDonnell, the second most powerful man in the opposition Labour Party, said.

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