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Tory vs. Tory: Ex-PM Major joins legal fight against Boris
Former Conservative prime minister John Major on Friday said he is joining a legal bid by Indian-origin anti-Brexit campaigner against parliament’s prorogation announce by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as courts prepare to hear challenges next week.
Former Conservative prime minister John Major on Friday said he is joining a legal bid by Indian-origin anti-Brexit campaigner against parliament’s prorogation announce by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as courts prepare to hear challenges next week.
The Court of Session in Scotland turned down imposing an emergency ban on the prorogation, and said a full hearing against the controversial move will be heard next week. Similar cases have been lodged in Northern Ireland and in England by campaigner Gina Miller.
Major, who was prime minister from 1990 to 1997, said: “I promised that, if the prime minister prorogued parliament in order to prevent members from opposing his Brexit plans, I would seek judicial review of his action”.
“In view of the imminence of the prorogation – and to avoid duplication of effort, and taking up the court’s time through repetition – I intend to seek the court’s permission to intervene in the claim already initiated by Gina Miller, rather than to commence separate proceedings”.
“If granted permission to intervene, I intend to seek to assist the court from the perspective of having served in government as a minister and prime minister, and also in parliament for many years as a member of the House of Commons,” he said.
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Significant developments are expected next week when parliament resumes on September 3 and courts pronounce on the challenge. The prorogation is seen as Johnson’s ploy to restrict time available to MPs to legislate against his version of Brexit.
Johnson has riled many inside and outside his party – besides European leaders – with his intention to take the UK out of EU on the scheduled date of October 31, with or without an agreement: the latter option is widely considered an act of self-harm.
Not securing an emergency ban on prorogation in the Scotland court did not deter those behind the challenge.
Labour MP Ian Murray, who is among the legal bid, said: “This verdict means a full hearing has been fast-tracked to next week, which is now the most important week in modern British history”.
“It is disappointing that we have to go to the courts to protect British democracy, but Boris Johnson’s attempt to silence the people’s representatives cannot go unchallenged…We must work tirelessly, across all parties and none, to fight against the devastation of a no-deal Brexit, fight for our democracy, and fight for the people to have a final say on Brexit.”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said when parliament resumes next week, the opposition’s effort would be to try and ‘politically stop’ Johnson with a parliamentary process in order to legislate to prevent a no-deal Brexit and also to try and prevent him shutting down parliament during the crucial period.
