Westminster in chaos: 5 things you need to know

by Olaf Stando
Posted on
5 years ago
3 min read

1) Boris Johnson’s shutdown of Parliament was ruled unlawful

In a dramatic and unprecedented moment in British politics, the Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that Boris Johnson’s decision to shut down Parliament was unlawful.

This vindicates the ruling of Scotland’s highest court two weeks ago, and is in line with the Scottish constitutional tradition, which is that neither the Monarch nor the Government are above the law.

Boris Johnson, with his anti-democratic shutdown, attempted to dodge scrutiny, silence MPs and force through an extreme Brexit – but was stopped by a remarkable legal action lead by the SNP’s Joanna Cherry QC MP.

Lady Hale, the Supreme Court’s president, said Johnson’s decision had an “extreme effect on the fundamentals of democracy”.

2) It’s clearer than ever that Boris Johnson is unfit for office – he must resign

Boris Johnson, through his unlawful actions, has neglected his responsibilities and acted recklessly by misleading the Queen, undermining Parliament, and lying to MPs.

The court’s ruling is a stark indictment of a Prime Minister who’s unfit for office and must now resign – a view that’s backed by an overwhelming majority (68%) of people in Scotland, revealed in a YouGov poll.

Ian Blackford said: “If he does not find the shred of honour it would take to resign, then Parliament must come together to ensure a no-deal Brexit is blocked, and the Prime Minister is held to account through a vote of no-confidence.”

3) The UK Parliament has been recalled – Boris Johnson can’t hide from scrutiny anymore

The Speaker has resumed the business of Parliament, allowing MPs to hold this disastrous Tory government to account over its illegal actions and extreme Brexit plans.

Boris Johnson’s short premiership has been dogged with parliamentary defeats, defections and disaster. He faced further humiliation as he came under fire from SNP MPs over his decision to shut down Parliament, as well as suggestions he might defy the law that obliges him to seek an Article 50 extension.

As soon as a damaging no-deal Brexit is firmly off the table and the Brexit extension is secured, we are ready for an immediate general election to bring down Boris Johnson’s government.

4) The Scottish Parliament has repeatedly voted against a no-deal Brexit – apart from the Scottish Tories

Time and time again, the Scottish Parliament has rejected a no-deal Brexit – which would slash over 100,000 Scottish jobs, hurt our public services, and cause food and medicine shortages – by an overwhelming majority.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Tories have been fully complicit in unfolding disaster, as Tory MSPs voted in favour of a no-deal and the 13 Tory MPs at Westminster chose to side with Boris Johnson by endorsing his extreme Brexit and undemocratic plan to shut down Parliament.

5) Westminster is increasingly broken and unfit for purpose

While this week the Scottish Government has passed a world-leading Climate Change Bill, which received praise from the UN and others, Boris Johnson’s actions plunged the UK further into chaos and disrepute – highlighting just how dysfunctional Westminster really is.

Scotland deserves the choice of a better future than the one being imposed on us by the most shambolic, incompetent Tory government in living memory.

It’s clearer than ever that the only way to properly protect Scotland’s interests is to become an independent country. Let’s build a fairer, more progressive Scotland together – pledge your support for independence here.