LONDON, Sept 2 (NNN-XINHUA) – Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, delivered an ultimatum to rebel Tories, asking them to pick a side between his government, or face “chaos” with opposition Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn.
The prime minister is in talks with his senior aides, in order to respond to reports that rebel Tories are to cooperate with Corbyn, in order to stop Johnson’s plan to take his country out of the European Union (EU) on Oct 31, with or without a deal.
“I just say to everybody in the country, including everyone in parliament, the fundamental choice is this: are you going to side with Jeremy Corbyn and those who want to cancel the referendum?”
The statement came ahead of an expected showdown clash in the House of Commons in the coming days. According to Johnson, a cross-party alliance with opposition members of parliament, risks plunging the country into chaos.
Today, Johnson is expected to meet with former cabinet ministers, Philip Hammond, David Gauke and Dominic Grieve, to force them to choose their side.
Corbyn said, the coming days are the “last chance” to stop a no-deal Brexit, before British parliament is suspended under Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s controversial plan.
Corbyn made the remarks in response to a question about comments made by Keir Starmer, a Labour member of parliament, who is shadow secretary of state for exiting the European Union, during an event in Glasgow, as part of a three-day visit to Scotland, before parliament resumes in Westminster tomorrow.
Starmer was reported to have said that, next week would be the final opportunity to stop the UK from leaving the EU without an agreement.
In answering the question, Corbyn said, “Yes, it is the last chance and we will do absolutely everything we can to prevent a no-deal Brexit and the prime minister taking us into the hands of (U.S. President) Donald Trump and a trade deal with the USA.”
In Brussels, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has again rejected Johnson’s demands for the Irish backstop to be scrapped.
Barnier insists that the controversial insurance plan for the Irish border in the Withdrawal Agreement represents the “maximum flexibility” that Brussels can offer.
The prime minister called on EU leaders to discard the so-called backstop and branded it as “unacceptable,” warning the arrangement must be ditched if a no-deal Brexit is to be avoided.
Parliament will reconvene for just six days after the summer recess ends. Thousands of demonstrators, on Saturday, took to the streets across Britain in protest against Johnson’s decision to suspend parliament.
Protesters gathered in dozens of locations around the country, including London, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, Brighton, Swansea, Bristol and Liverpool.
The prime minister, who vowed to leave the EU on Oct 31 with or without a deal, decided to prorogue parliament until Oct 14, two weeks before the Brexit deadline.
The decision has led to rising tensions between the government and parliament in a divisive country, due to disagreements on how to leave the EU.
Johnson insists the move was to allow the government to hold a Queen’s Speech and outline an “exciting” agenda for the future.
But critics say his intention is to stop members of parliament from plotting against him, to stop a no-deal Brexit.– NNN-XINHUA
