Section:GDN 1N PaGe:9 Edition Date:190830 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 29/8/2019 20:49 cYanmaGentaYellowbl
Friday 30 Aug ust 2019 The Guardian •
9O’Neill said the suspension also
meant Johnson would breach the
supreme court ruling in the Miller case
that it was unlawful for a government
to change or remove a citizen’s legal
rights under EU law without an act of
parliament.
He said the court of session had a
duty to step in, to ensure the govern-
ment was properly accountable.
In Belfast, McCord’s solicitors said
Johnson’s motive was to frustrate
attempts to stop a no-deal Brexit and
he had prorogued parliament “with-
out democratic intent”.
McCord’s case had been due to
be heard on 16 September but was
brought forward after his solici-
tors rushed in an application for an
immediate injunction following the
decision to prorogue parliament.
Miller has also lodged an urgent
application for a judicial review over
the prorogation, arguing that John-
son’s move was a “brazen” attempt to
prevent the government from being
held accountable by parliament.
Her case will be advocated in court
by Lord [David] Pannick QC, widely
regarded as one of the leading judi-
cial review barristers in the country.
Journal Gina Miller Page 4
▲ Gina Miller in London yesterday.
She has lodged papers seeking a
judicial review of Johnson’s move
PHOTOGRAPH: BEN CAWTHRA/LNP
▼ High Street stallholder Zoe Scarrott
says MPs should deliver Brexit now
PHOTOGRAPH: ALECSANDRA RALUCA DRAGOI/
THE GUARDIANJennifer Rankin
Lisa O’Carroll
Sam JonesThe leader of the European parliament
has criticised Boris Johnson’s suspen-
sion of parliament as some Brussels
insiders weigh up the increased risk
of a no-deal Brexit.
David Sassoli , an Italian socialist
MEP who was elected as president
of the parliament in July, tweeted :
“ Listening to parliaments is always
good for democracy. For this reason,
it is better to keep them open.”
While MEPs have been quick to con-
demn Johnson’s decision – described
by the European parliament’s coordi-
nator on Brexit, Guy Verhofstadt , as
sinister – EU leaders who are driving
the Brexit agenda have stayed silent.
European leaders nearly always avoid
commenting on domestic politics of
other countries.
But some former leaders were less
restrained. Alexander Stubb , a former
prime minister of Finland, tweeted :
“Makes me really sad to see what
Brexit is doing to one of the great
democracies of our time. Please, stay
calm and use common sense.”
Ireland is increasingly nervous that
it could be betrayed by the EU in the
race for a last-minute deal, according
to the Irish Times , which recounted a
conversation between Ireland’s dep-
uty prime minister, Simon Coveney ,
and the French prime minister,Jasper JollyToyota is planning to halt production
at its factory in Burnaston in Derby-
shire on 1 November in anticipation
of possible disruption to deliveries of
parts, amid growing concern among
manufacturers that the UK is head-
ing for a no-deal Brexit on 31 October.
Workers at the carmaker’s plant will
not work on Friday 1 November, but
will return on Monday 4 November.
Toyota does not plan to reduce vol-
ume, and workers will have to work the
hours lost at a later point.
However, Toyota has previously
said any further delays will lead to
“start/stop” manufacturing. A spokes-
man said Toyota will have parts for two
days of production if deliveries face
disruption, up from the normal stock
levels of around four hours’ worth.
Toyota’s contingency plans, agreed
with workers, come as the govern-
ment step s up no-deal warnings toÉ d ouard Philippe.
“[Coveney] began his conversation
with Mr Philippe by saying: ‘We are
conscious of the fact that Irish-specifi c
issues are preventing a deal between
the EU and the UK, and Ireland doesn’t
want to be the problem here.’
“Mr Philippe interrupted him and
said: ‘Look, you don’t need to worry
about this. This is not just an Irish
problem. It’s an EU problem and we
are in it together.’”
For commentators in Europe’s lead-
ing newspapers, several metaphors
predominated: Johnson’s move was
described as a game of poker, or a coup.
The leading Dutch daily Volkskrant
described the suspension of parlia-
ment as “Johnson’s power grab”. In
an analysis, the paper assessed that
the prime minister’s aim was to win
an election at all costs.
On its front page, La Libre Belgique
described “Boris Johnson’s dangerous
coup”. The Flemish paper De Morgen- echoing the words of the Labour
shadow chancellor, John McDonnell - said it was “a very British coup”.
France’s left wing Libération was
headlined “Brexit, harder and harder”.
The paper’s London correspondent
suggested: “Without doubt, the Queen
probably choked on her porridge .”
The Irish Times accused Johnson of
an “outrageous manoeuvre” showing
the lengths he would go to get his way.
EU view
Parliament’s
chief criticises
suspension
Business
Toyota to halt
production on
1 November
businesses. Unions and manufactur-
ing workers said yesterday they were
“disappointed” after Michael Gove,
who is in charge of Brexit planning,
failed to assure them the government
could prevent damage to industry.
In the talks, held at the Cabinet
Offi ce and described as occasionally
heated, union bosses and workers
from companies including Airbus,
Jaguar Land Rover, Nestle and Rolls-
Royce aired concerns that goods may
be delayed at the border, that tariff s
could be imposed on parts and goods,
and that smaller companies were
struggling to build up buff er stocks.
“We are not confi dent with any
of the answers that came back,” said
Steve Turner of Unite. “As soon as you
go into detail they run a mile.”
Major manufacturers such as Airbus
and PSA Group, the owner of Peugeot
and Vauxhall, have warned they could
move production out of the UK in the
event of a no-deal Brexit.
A spokesperson said: “The govern-
ment has already announced £108m
of funding to support businesses and
we are undertaking key actions, such
as improving infrastructure and resil-
ience at ports, to help manage our exit.”
The Food and Drink Federation sep-
arately warned that crucial questions
for food producers remained unan-
swered by the government.
Two sources said the government’s
tone towards business has hardened
since Boris Johnson became PM.▲ Guy Verhofstadt, MEPs’ Brexit
lead, said the prorogation was sinisterEssex view
Anger over
failure to get
out of EU
Ben QuinnT
alk of coups and
warnings about threats
to democracy were
given short shrift by
high street shoppers
enjoying the midday
sun in the Thames estuary town of
Grays yesterday. “It’s fearmongering.
I’ll tell you what’s undemocratic:
not fi nally delivering on what the
people voted for back in 2016,” said
Maureen Fowler, as she paused
from a shoe shopping expedition
yesterday in the largest town in the
Essex district of Thurrock, where
72% of the electorate voted leave
during the referendum.
Both she and her husband, Jim,
were among those voters – the
fourth highest percentage by district
in the country – and two years of
warnings about the consequences of
a no-deal Brexit appear not to have
dampened their fervour for leaving.
Both are retired, having worked
in the past in diff erent capacities to
service Ford manufacturing, which
once employed close to half a million
workers in east London. They
applauded the actions of a prime
minister who they felt was fi nally
standing up to Brussels.
“They’ve been trying to do to us
what they did to Greece, which was
basically blackmail, although I do
feel that perhaps everything wasn’t
properly explained as it should havebeen during the referendum,” Jim
Fowler said.
Coverage of the prorogation of
parliament by what he described as
the “left wing BBC” was also blasted
by Tony Fry, 50, who said that he
would have left without a deal 18
months ago and that Boris Johnson
was doing the only thing that would
secure Brexit.
“For an overweight blonde bloke
like myself I think he has played a
blinder to be honest,” said Fry, 50, a
former Ukip member wearing a Help
for Heroes T-shirt out of respect for
family members who had served
in the armed forces. “Going for
a no-deal like this isn’t ideal but
it’s the only way at this stage. The
country is fed up. ”
Despite his praise for Johnson
and, to a greater extent, Nigel
Farage, one other result of the past
48 hour s had been a newfound
admiration for Jacob Rees-Mogg,
who he had watched batting away
journalists’ questions at Aberdeen
airport following a visit to secure
the prorogation from the Queen at
Balmoral. “It’s not going to happen
but I would vote for him tomorrow if
I had a chance,” he added.
But while Rees-Mogg won’t be
standing in Thurrock – historically
a Labour stronghold but which has
been held by the Tories since 2010- the approval of Fry and others
will come as music to the ears of
Downing Street political planners
eager to stave off the threat of
Farage’s new Brexit party.
Selling toy bubble-blowing
guns (“£4.99 and it comes with
two bottles of mixture”) from
a stall halfway along the high
street meanwhile, Zoe Scarrott
shrugged her shoulders and
shook her head when asked if she
shared the concerns of others that
the prorogation of parliament
had profoundly undemocratic
consequences.
“I think that they, the MPs, need
to deliver what the people voted for
and if he [Boris Johnson] thinks that
he can do it this way then people are
not really going to care,” she added.
Like the others, the restoring
of lost sovereignty was a priority
but there was also a personal
motivation. “My little boy is six and
is extremely bright but he’s being
held back because the school he
goes to is one where there has been
a massive infl ux of Romanians,
Poles and other people, and the
time of the teacher is being taken up
with teaching their children how to
speak English in the fi rst place,” said
Scarrott.
‘Boris has played a
blinder. Going for a
no-deal like this isn’t
ideal but it’s the only
way at this stage. The
country is fed up’Tony Fry
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