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It seems that Brexit, now the longest British soap serial, will continue and might be renewed for a new season. Britain’s top court has ruled that the suspension of parliament was unlawful, and will now reconvene to discuss the lingering issue till the impending deadline on October 30.
Brexit has already sent two prime ministers packing and has placed incumbent Boris Johnson embroiled in limbo over an issue threatening to tear the nation apart. The Conservative party is riddled with division over the country’s withdrawal from the EU and is unable to command a governing majority.
But Boris is adamant that the UK will leave the EU on that day, even if there’s no deal how it will work. Many lawmakers think that a no-deal Brexit must be stopped at all costs, and a huge row erupted when he suspended parliament till mid-October. His rivals claim he was trying to stop parliament from doing their job and required intervention from the highest court.
This is also unprecedented as courts in the UK have not interfered in politics to this extent, and the significance of the ruling cannot be overestimated. The UK operates without a written constitution, often acting on precedents, and this ruling could venture into ‘forbidden territory’ paving away for more interference in political matters.
It’s not unusual to suspend parliament and has been done after every session, but now lawmakers were worried about the economic chaos likely to be caused if no deal has been agreed. In the worst case, the UK will witness the loss of thousands of jobs, outflow of capital, businesses pushed to the wall, and the economy could contract. This will lead the UK to even lose its political influence and leadership of the free world.
The opposition Labour party is facing its own showdown as the party’s factions are divided to either campaign to cancel Brexit, or support the neutral wait-and-see approach stance of party leader Jeremy Corbyn. He wants to negotiate a new Brexit deal and can hold a public referendum. It remains unclear if Labour would support its own deal or chose to remain in the EU. Corbyn once touted as the next prime minister, is being slammed for his ambiguity and not making his stance clear.
When it comes to Brexit, there is a time limit. PM Johnson will certainly not ask for an extension or might receive one from the EU. This disagreement will surely lead to another political crisis or another election. This issue has dragged on for too long, and now three years after the divisive Brexit vote, there is little more than a month to sort it all out.
