London (AFP)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Wednesday that the work of Parliament would be suspended the second week of September and until October 14, two weeks before the expected date of Brexit, causing a fall in the pound and critics of the opposition.
October 14 will be the day of the Queen's speech, which traditionally presents the government agenda.
According to him, the elected "will have the opportunity to discuss the program of the government and its approach Brexit before the European Council (note: October 17 and 18) and can then vote on October 21 and 22, once its known result ", he said. "If I succeed in concluding an agreement with the EU, Parliament can then pass the law for ratification of the agreement before October 31," he said.
"The weeks leading up to the European Council are vital for my negotiations with the EU," he said, adding: "By showing unity and determination, we have a chance to win a new agreement that can be adopted by Parliament ".
The pound fell 0.6% against the euro and the dollar as a result of this information, which reinforces the assumption of a hard Brexit.
The return to parliament is scheduled for Tuesday. Members will only sit a few days before a suspension until October 14. The British Parliament is traditionally suspended for several weeks in September because of the annual conferences of political parties but the extension runs this time up to twelve days after the end of the last party conference, that of the Conservatives.
This tight timing makes it unlikely that MEPs opposed to an exit without EU approval could pass laws to prevent a Brexit without an agreement on 31 October. The opposition denounced an "undemocratic" maneuver on the part of Johnson, who said he was ready to leave the EU "no matter what" at the end of October, even without an exit agreement.
MEPs will have "plenty of time to discuss Brexit before and after the European Council," Boris Johnson defended on Sky television.
© 2019 AFP