Key Day for Brexit: Johnson Faces Rebellion and Loses Parliamentary Majority

LONDON.- On this key day for the UK's European Union (EU) divorce plan, the British Prime Minister

Boris Johnson

,
faces a challenge from the opposition and rebels of his own conservative party in Parliament against a

Brexit

no agreement that could
lead to imminent early legislation.

In this context, Johnson, who had a majority in Parliament by a single legislator, lost the majority by the vote of his former minister Phillip Lee, who spoke out against the departure of the European Union (EU). ) and joined the party. ranks of the Liberal Democratic Party. "The Conservative government aggressively seeks out a harmful Brexit," Lee said in a statement.

"This unnecessarily endangers human lives and homes and endangers the integrity of the United Kingdom for no reason," he said, adding: "This is detrimental to the economy, the economy and the environment. democracy and the role of the world in our country.It uses political manipulation, harbadment and lies, and it does all this deliberately and intentionally. "

"The party I joined in 1992 is not the one I leave today," said Lee, confirming his union with the Liberal Democratic Party.

In this scenario, lawmakers who oppose the exit of the EU will try to delay the date of definition. At the same time, the government said that if it lost the vote, it would immediately hold early elections on October 14.

Elections are scheduled for 2022, but if advanced, two-thirds approval of Parliament is required before. The Labor Party, the main opposition force, has been in favor of holding general elections. However, several members are worried about the holding of the elections if the agreement with Brussels is not finalized before October 31st.

During the session, Johnson criticized Labor Minister Jeremy Corbyn's "law of surrender" and insisted that the government's priority remains to secure an agreement that allows the EU to leave with clear guarantees.

Johnson, who told MEPs the contacts with European leaders on the sidelines of the G-7 summit, regretted that there are some who want to "hoist the white flag" in front of the EU. The Prime Minister warned that he would not accept any initiative limiting his room for maneuver before the community bloc.

"I will never give up control of the negotiations as the Leader of the Opposition demands," he added in a speech in which he urged the deputies to vote against the text promoted by those who want to avoid at all costs a chaotic Brexit.

"This government wants an agreement," said Johnson, who recalled that the House of Commons had three times rejected the plan negotiated by his predecessor, Theresa May. In his opinion, the chances of reaching a new agreement "have increased."

Conservative Conservative lawmakers, for their part, have been in favor of holding early elections and could vote with the opposition to prevent a brutal exit from the EU.

Last week, Johnson announced the suspension of parliamentary sessions from mid-September to 14 October. In this scenario, the opposition considered that the measure was an attempt to prevent the debate. Therefore, they wish to present a project to urgently approve a law allowing a three-month distribution, plus departure.

The scene

Brexit was scheduled for March this year, but was postponed twice. Johnson said that there would be no third postponement and that on October 31, the country would be outside the EU with or without agreement.

The main concern of the opposition concerns the economic consequences, mainly for the products that the country imports. At the same time, trade agreements should also be reviewed, in case Britain leaves the EU.

Britain is most worried about eliminating the "Irish safeguard", which aims to prevent the reestablishment of a border between the Republic of Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland. The "safeguard" would only come into effect if two years later, no agreement had been reached. Otherwise, Northern Ireland would remain in the rules of the single market and the United Kingdom would create a customs union with Europe. Johnson wants to replace this initiative with "alternative arrangements", but Brussels said the proposal was not credible.

AFP Agency and DPA