LONDON: Large-scale protests against Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s controversial plan to suspend Parliament were taking place in city centres across the country on Saturday.
The protests come ahead of an intense political week in which Johnson’s opponents will seek to block the move in court and legislate against a no-deal departure from the EU — and could even try to topple his government in a no-confidence vote.
Chants of “shame on you” were directed at Johnson by demonstrators outside Downing Street on Saturday as streets around government buildings in Westminster were brought to a standstill. There are 32 planned protests taking place across the UK organised by anti-Brexit campaign group Another Europe Is Possible.
Demonstrators gathered outside Oxford University’s Balliol College, which was attended by Johnson, to express their displeasure about his handling of Brexit. Lesley McKie, who was at the college with her family, criticised the “undemocratic actions of Boris Johnson and (senior adviser) Dominic Cummings”.
Denouncing the Prime Minister outside the institution where he established his “political profile” sends “a powerful message to Johnson and others leading this coup”, she added.Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott addressed the London protesters from a stage near Downing Street. She told the crowds: “We cannot allow Boris Johnson to shut down Parliament and to shut down the voice of ordinary British people.”
More than 1,000 protesters gathered in cities including York, Manchester and Newcastle. Chris McHugh, 33, who works for Labour MP Liz Twist and was demonstrating in Newcastle, said the protest is about “protecting democracy”. He added: “The fact that thousands have taken to the streets of Newcastle today is so telling.”
Protests are also taking place in cities including Birmingham, Liverpool, Glasgow, Swansea, Leeds, Belfast, Bristol and Aberdeen. They are also being held in towns including Bodmin in Cornwall and Clitheroe in Lancashire.
Left-wing campaign group Momentum has called on its members to “occupy bridges and blockade roads” in conjunction with unrest on the streets. The protests were triggered by the PM’s decision to suspend Parliament for up to five weeks ahead of the October 31 Brexit deadline.
Opponents claimed the move was aimed at stopping discussion of Brexit and hampering cross-party efforts to block the prospect of a no-deal withdrawal from the European Union — an allegation denied by Johnson.
Johnson, who only came to power a month ago following a Conservative Party leadership election, has promised to lead Britain out of the European Union on October 31 with or without an agreement with Brussels.
He has said he is ready to strike a deal as long as provisions for Britain to stay in the customs union even after Brexit are cut from an existing deal struck by his predecessor Theresa May. But EU leaders have said they are still awaiting concrete proposals from London.
Johnson’s Brexit adviser David Frost is expected back in Brussels for talks next week. Opposition MPs and some lawmakers from Johnson’s own Conservatives want him to delay Brexit beyond October 31 if he fails to strike an agreement with the EU. The government meanwhile is ramping up preparations in case of no-deal. Finance Minister Sajid Javid on Saturday defended parliament’s suspension, despite saying during the recent Conservative leadership contest when he stood against Johnson that “you don’t deliver democracy by trashing democracy”.
Ahead of the protests, Chancellor Sajid Javid backed Johnson’s decision to suspend Parliament. Despite insisting during the Tory leadership campaign that he thought proroguing Parliament was a bad idea, Javid has now insisted the government needs time to focus on its agenda in the run-up to outlining plans in October’s Queen’s Speech.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It is quite usual this time of year, Parliament goes into what’s called a conference recess and it doesn’t usually sit for some time in September and early October. “It’s right because we are focusing on the people’s priorities.”
Pressed on his comments during the Tory leadership battle that prorogation could be seen as “trashing” democracy, the Chancellor said: “I wasn’t being asked about a Queen’s Speech, a government setting an agenda, that was a question around suspending Parliament for the sake of it for months on end in order to avoid debate.”