UK Government accused of “undemocratic coup d’état”
The UK Government has has drawn fierce criticism from opposition politicians after asking the Queen to suspend Parliament.
The Queen approved the suspension on Wednesday afternoon. It will happen no earlier than September 9th and no later than September 12th.
The move means the time MPs have to pass laws to stop a no-deal Brexit on 31st October would be significantly reduced.
Boris Johnson said a Queen’s Speech would take place after the suspension, on 14th October, to outline his “very exciting agenda”.
Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts has described the Prime Minister’s plans as “an undemocratic coup d’état.”
She said: “This is a cynical and fundamentally anti-democratic move by a man who sees no hypocrisy in shutting down parliament after arguing that leaving the European Union would somehow reinforce the sovereignty of parliament.
“It is a move that you would expect from an autocratic ruler than the Prime Minister of a modern democracy.
“Faced with what could be the most serious abuse of power in living memory, we must do everything we can to defend representative democracy against this undemocratic coup d’état, and I see no exaggeration in calling it just that.”
House of Commons Speaker John Bercow described the move as a “constitutional outrage” and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn confirmed he had written to the Queen to request a meeting “as a matter of urgency… before any final decision is taken”.
“Suspending Parliament is not acceptable, it is not on. What the prime minister is doing is a smash and grab on our democracy to force through a no deal,” he said.
First Minister Mark Drakeford Tweeted:
Boris Johnson fought a referendum campaign to put power back in the hands of Parliament and now he wants the Queen to close the doors on our democracy. The Leave campaign claims are unravelling. It’s time to put this to the people.
— Mark Drakeford (@fmwales) August 28, 2019
Jane Dodds, leader the Welsh Liberal Democrats also condemned the move on social media.
I was elected to be the voice of Brecon & Radnorshire in Westminster.
By trying to shut down Parliament, Boris is trying to subvert democracy and silence that voice.
Rest assured, he will find it’s much harder to silence me than he realises… https://t.co/TSJrlrbaMg
— Jane Dodds 🏴🔶 (@DoddsJane) August 28, 2019
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The best defence against this is for an independant Wales, how else are we to preserve democracy?
Cymru Rydd am byth!
Funny how all those against Boris Johnson are saying he is Undemocratic hypocrisy of the highest level after we voted to Leave the EUSLESS in a democratic referendum
Except that the referendum was very far from being democratic. Millions of us were not allowed to vote.
Why are people so stupid in parliament, they want no deal off the table. Its a negotiation and no deal is our biggest bargaining chip you don’t take that away. No deal is the way to go and what most voters want over the current deal that’s on offer and that Parliament don’t want. We voted leave we need to leave or democracy is dead.