Every week Samuel and Lorenzo take on the challenge of explaining to the students of Runnymede College what is really going on in the strange and wonderful world of politics.
A few days ago, it seemed like Brexit was definitely going to happen. In the next twist to this drama, people are beginning to question Boris Johnson's lawfulness... and maybe his ability to lead. In recent weeks, Mr Johnson has suspended Parliament once, and might do so again. In this article I'll walk through what this could mean for Brexit, and potentially for us.
A No Deal Brexit is looking likely. A No-Deal Brexit would mean that England would suffer hugely, and trade would be really difficult. The good thing about the EU is that there is free trade; you don't have to pay extra money to sell and buy. If there is no deal, the UK will have to pay huge amounts to sell or buy. They will have to pay much more for essential things such as medicine and fruit. There are even concerns that they will run out of a key product used for turning dirty sea water into fresh and clear drinking water, normally imported from Germany.
To suspend Parliament Boris Johnson had to consult the Queen; she’s legally the only person who can suspend parliament, and strip the country of its main legal court. He allegedly told her that it would last for a short period of time, and would help with Brexit negotiations with the EU and Ireland. What ended up happening was the longest parliamentary suspension since World War II, not really a short period of time (yes, Boris Johnson lied to the Queen, but more on that later). As soon as the Queen suspended parliament, outrage arose in England. To suspend parliament is like to act as a dictator, avoiding democracy. It means that Members of Parliament, MPs, lose their jobs, which is providing necessary opposition to the proposals of the ruling party.
A similar thing happened in the US when Donald Trump shut down Congress. This meant that you didn't have to vote to pass laws; in fact you couldn't pass anything at all. One of the promises of his campaign is that he would crash out of Europe as soon as possible, no extensions.
When Parliament did come together again, there were major consequences. There was a session to decide whether it was the right thing to do, and they ruled that it was unlawful. For the Prime Minister to avoid the law is a really big deal. There might be a vote of no confidence, which means his party has lost trust in him... Who knows? But what he's done will have huge repercussions. The opposition has used it against him, and his approval rating has gone down. And then there is the fact that lying to the queen is treason. Process that for a minute. The Prime Minister of England may be facing accusations of treason. But what were we expecting? This is Brexit, after all.
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