John Bercow: I'll stop Boris Johnson breaking the law on Brexit
Source: The Guardian
John Bercow has threatened Boris Johnson that he will be prepared to rip up the parliamentary rulebook to stop any illegal attempt by the prime minister to take the UK out of the EU without a deal on 31 October.
In a direct warning to No 10, the Speaker of the House of Commons said he is prepared to allow additional procedural creativity if necessary to allow parliament to block Johnson from ignoring the law.
If we come close to [Johnson ignoring the law], I would imagine parliament would want to cut off that possibility
Neither the limitations of the existing rulebook or ticking of the clock will stop it doing so, he said, delivering the annual Bingham lecture in London. If I have been remotely ambiguous so far, let me make myself crystal clear. The only form of Brexit that we have, whenever that might be, will be a Brexit that the House of Commons has explicitly endorsed.
He also proposed a written constitution to stop executive malpractice or fiat, which could potentially have avoided the constitutional crisis that the UK has found itself in over Brexit.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/12/bercow-warns-pm-not-to-defy-law-on-no-deal-brexit
sandensea
(21,635 posts)Too bad he's stepping down soon.
dewsgirl
(14,961 posts)B Stieg
(2,410 posts)Bojo, Bojo, Bojo...(apologies to sex workers)
DavidDvorkin
(19,477 posts)There have been people calling for this in the UK for years, I believe. I wonder if Johnson's behavior will give a major kick to the movement.
Stonepounder
(4,033 posts)DavidDvorkin
(19,477 posts)flamingdem
(39,313 posts)Ghost Dog
(16,881 posts)for a Constitution.
https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_gg/