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| British Prime Minister Boris Johnson debating his colleagues in British Parliament, September 4, 2019. |
September 4, 2019
By Faris K. Barhoum
The British government in the Spring of 2016 proposed and pushed for a vote for the U.K. to part ways with the EU or European Union. Ultimately, the citizens of the U.K. voted to leave the EU and since then the government of the U.K has yet to formally come to a vote as it pertains to leaving the EU. Since the spring of 2016, the British government has seen two prime ministers come and go without delivering on a Brexit vote to leave the EU. Ex-Prime Minister Theresa May stepped down this past July and Boris Johnson, the former Foreign Secretary and former mayor of London took over as the prime minister in July. Since taking over on 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister Johnson has called for the U.K. to vote to leave the EU.
Several U.K. lawmakers are vehemently opposed to leaving the EU, all the while Prime Minister Johnson is determined to have the British Parliament vote on leaving the EU entirely. Many U.K. lawmakers are not happy with Prime Minister Johnson because he has no plan for what comes after his proposed Brexit vote. With no clear plan after Brexit many in British Parliament are not comfortable with such uncertainty. To complicate matters further, last week Prime Minister Johnson called for British Parliament to disband, & called for a snap election. As of today, [Wednesday, September 4, 2019] the opposition in British Parliament refused Johnson's Brexit vote and his call for a snap election.
As of Wednesday, the British Parliament blocked Johnson's vote to withdraw from the EU. As stated by Stephen Castle of The New York Times, "After opposition and rebel Tory lawmakers seized control of the Brexit process from Mr. Johnson on Tuesday, they doubled down on Wednesday by advancing a bill to block a withdrawal from the European Union without a deal. Then, just hours later, they rejected Mr. Johnson's request for a snap election, at least until their no-deal Brexit measure becomes the law of the land" (Castle, 1). It remains to be seen what will happen in the U.K., but it is safe to say there is quite a bit of uncertainty and anxiety as it pertains to Brexit.
Many believe that Johnson has lost the British Parliament all together. Several analysts have stated "that Mr. Johnson could still get his election soon, but the latest rebuff was a stark indication that he had lost control of Parliament," Castle continues, "It was a sobering day [Wednesday, September 4, 2019] for Mr. Johnson, a politician whose bombast and supreme self-confidence finally met a wall of opposition amid a fierce backlash over his decisions to suspend Parliament for five weeks and to expel 21 lawmakers who rebelled against him on Tuesday. And with the purge, he may have fractured his Conservative Party" (Ibid, 1). It is clear that Prime Minister Johnson is at odds with many of his fellow lawmakers, as well as with some of his fellow citizens. Additionally, the Brexit debate will not be solved if some British lawmakers are suspended for mere disagreement. Nonetheless, the debate will continue and we shall see where this debate leads if and when it is resolved. Till then as they say, "God Save the Queen," but in this case, "God Save the U.K."
Article,
Castle, Stephen. The New York Times, "U.K. Lawmakers Batter Johnson Again, Defying Him
On Brexit & Election,"
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