This Parliament is a dead parliament, says UK A-G tells MPs
LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was back from the United Nations General Assembly in New York to face MPs yesterday after they reconvened following the Supreme Court's damning judgment that his suspension of Parliament in the run-up to Brexit was unlawful.
He faces a major crisis that has sparked calls for his resignation just weeks before Britain is due to leave the European Union on Oct 31.
Despite the stunning rebuke from the highest court in the land, the Conservative leader continues to insist he will take Britain out of the bloc next month even if he cannot agree exit terms with Brussels.
However, Attorney-General Geoffrey Cox told MPs in Parliament that the government would abide by a law passed this month demanding Brexit be delayed to avoid a "no-deal" exit.
Mr Cox did not explain how the government could do so and still keep its promise.
He was summoned to the House of Commons to answer questions about Tuesday's court judgment, until Mr Johnson - who landed only mid-morning - can set out his next steps later in the day.
The government's top lawyer said ministers respected the historic ruling that Mr Johnson's suspension or prorogation of Parliament for five weeks until Oct 14 was unlawful.
"We lost, we got it wrong," Mr Cox said.
He suggested that in response, the government would try for a third time to call a snap election to try to resolve the political impasse over Brexit.
The leader of the main opposition Labour party, Mr Jeremy Corbyn, has called on Mr Johnson to resign following the court ruling.
However, he told the BBC he would not call a confidence vote in Parliament until the possibility of a no-deal Brexit has been eliminated.
In rowdy scenes in the packed House of Commons, Mr Cox accused MPs of trying to block Brexit at every turn.
He charged Labour with being "cowardly" for having twice rejected Mr Johnson's call for a fresh election to resolve the political impasse.
"This Parliament is a dead parliament," he said.
He added: "This Parliament should have the courage to face the electorate, but it won't.
"It won't because so many of them are really all about preventing us leaving the European Union." - AFP
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