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Rebel Conservative MPs threatened with expulsion over Brexit
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IANS | 02 Sep, 2019
In what is seen as an extreme move by British Prime Minister Boris
Johnson, rebel MPs in his Conservative Party have been warned that they
will be expelled if they go ahead with their plans to join the
opposition in passing the legislation this week to stop a no-deal
Brexit.
The move comes a day before the British parliament is due to begin a crucial session in which Brexit is set to dominate. The
decision was taken at a meeting of Johnson's senior colleagues and
advisors over the weekend. Johnson has also cancelled a meeting
scheduled for Monday with prominent supporters of that legislation,
which include a number of former ministers, including Philip Hammond,
the Finance Minister under Theresa May. Rebel MPs have been
warned that if they vote against the government, they will be defying
the party whip which means they'll be thrown out of the party. Unlike
India, Britain doesn't have an anti-defection law and members of
parliament have been defying the party whip.
But crucially,
these rebels have also been threatened with de-selection. In other
words, they will be denied the Conservative Party ticket in the next
election. This is a risky move for them as well as for Johnson. He has a
tiny majority in the parliament and there's no guarantee the
Conservative Party will return to power if there's an election soon.
But
this also looks like his strategy, to put pressure on the rebels. An
early election is expected anyway, it could be as a result of a
no-confidence motion in the parliament or soon after a no-deal Brexit.
Johnson
has made it clear that he would like Britain to leave the European
Union (EU) at the end of October with or without a deal. He insists that
he's trying for a deal but the EU has said that he has not given any
credible proposal so far and that they're preparing for a no-deal
Brexit.
The Conservative Party is largely pro-Brexit and many
members won't mind even a no-deal Brexit. That's why Johnson was elected
two months ago as the party leader. He provoked a lot of anger among
his opponents last month when he decided to suspend the parliament, a
move seen as a ploy to prevent it from passing a law to stop a no-deal
Brexit. But the opposition and his party rebels were plotting to
pass such a law on the first day of the session itself, prompting
Johnson to issue the latest warning to the rebels. But some of these
MPs, who're from areas where people voted to remain in the European
Union at the Brexit referendum in 2016, are reported to be prepared to
ignore the warning and even the threat of deselection.
Britain
currently has a fixed-term parliament law which means a no-confidence
vote doesn't necessarily result in fresh election. That's why opposition
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has been trying to convince other
parties opposed to a no-deal Brexit and the Tory rebels to support him
in forming a government if Johnson's dispensation collapses. But
so far he has not been able to convince them, mainly because the MPs
who are opposed to leaving the EU don't trust him. He is also hated
widely in the Tory heartland, so MPs from those areas wont' risk
supporting Corbyn. The new session of the parliament was
expected to be used by a group of Muslim MPs to raise the issue of the
abrogation of Article 370 in India and the related developments in
Kashmir. Corbyn has their support but they will be disappointed as
Brexit has overtaken everything.
The issue may still be raised
but it's unlikely to generate the kind of debate Pakistan and its
supporters in the British parliament were expecting.
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Customs Exchange Rates |
Currency |
Import |
Export |
US Dollar
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84.35
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82.60 |
UK Pound
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106.35
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102.90 |
Euro
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91.00
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87.90 |
Japanese
Yen |
54.30 |
52.70 |
As on 16 Aug, 2024 |
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