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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was headed for a showdown Tuesday with lawmakers who want to put the brakes on his drive to push his European Union divorce bill through the House of Commons in just three days and take Britain out of the bloc by Oct. 31.
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Johnson said that if Parliament imposes a longer timetable, he will withdraw the bill and call a vote on holding a snap general election — a threat aimed at breaking the political deadlock over Brexit that has dragged on for more than three years since British voters opted to leave the EU.
"I will in no way allow months more of this," said Johnson, who took power in July vowing that the U.K. would leave the bloc on the scheduled date of Oct. 31, come what may.
"If Parliament refuses to allow Brexit to happen and instead … decides to delay everything until January or possibly longer, in no circumstances can the government continue with this (bill)," he said.
Last week Johnson struck a divorce deal with the 27 other EU leaders, but on Saturday he failed to win Parliament's backing for it. His only remaining hope of leaving on time is to get lawmakers to pass the Brexit-implementing bill into law before the scheduled departure date, nine days away.
Johnson's threat to pull the bill, which would turn the exit deal into law, piles pressure on lawmakers as they consider whether to approve the government's legislation. The bill faces two votes Tuesday, with lawmakers first being asked to approve it in principle, followed by a vote on the government's schedule for debate and possible amendments.
Johnson said backing the bill would allow lawmakers to "turn the page and allow this Parliament and this country to begin to heal and unite."
The Brexit deal sets out the terms of Britain's departure, including measures to maintain an open border between the U.K.'s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland. It also enshrines the right of U.K. and EU citizens living in the other's territory to continue with their lives, and sets out the multibillion pound (dollar) payments Britain must make to meet its financial obligations to the EU.
But the deal does not cover the nitty gritty of future relations between the U.K. and the EU: Instead, it confirms a transition period lasting until at least the end of 2020 — and possibly 2022 — in which relations will remain frozen as they are now while a permanent new relationship is worked out.
If the bill doesn't pass and Britain leaves the EU without a deal, there will be no transition period, uncertainty for millions of citizens and a host of new tariffs, customs checks and other barriers to trade on Day 1. Most economists say that would send unemployment rising, the value of the pound plummeting and plunge the U.K. into recession.
Johnson's Conservatives hold just 288 of the 650 House of Commons seats, so he will need support from opposition and independent lawmakers to pass the bill, though many analysts expect it be approved.
The sticking point is expected to be the three-day timetable because of concerns it doesn't provide enough time for scrutiny of the 115-page document. Major bills usually take weeks or months to pass through Parliament, giving time for line-by-line scrutiny by lawmakers.
Green lawmaker Caroline Lucas tweeted that lawmakers "had more time to debate the Wild Animals in Circuses Act (affecting 19 animals) than they will to decide the future of 65 million people. It's hard to think of anything which better illustrates this Govt's contempt for people, Parliament & democracy."
Ominously for the government, some lawmakers who support the Brexit deal said they would vote against the short timetable.
"Unless you are prepared to contemplate more expansive debate, there is not the slightest possibility of considering the deal that has been obtained within the time available," Ken Clarke, a senior lawmaker rRead More – Source
