Boris Johnson’s Foes May Try to Get the Queen to Fire Him
They have hit upon an arcane constitutional trick that relies on Queen Elizabeth II to fire him, according to a source.
(Bloomberg) -- Politicians determined to stop Boris Johnson leaving the European Union without a deal are trying to work out how to force the prime minister from office.
They have hit upon an arcane constitutional trick that relies on Queen Elizabeth II to fire him, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Under the plan:
- A so-called Humble Address could be used to remove Johnson in a day if he refuses to send a letter to the EU on Oct. 19 requesting a delay to Brexit.
- A Humble Address is a message from the House of Commons to the Queen as head of state and arbiter of the constitution.
- This method was traditionally used during Victorian times, but more recently has been successfully used to force the government to reveal details about its Brexit planning.
- It could also be used to instruct the Queen to appoint another member of Parliament as prime minister and to form a government.
- A Cabinet minister, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they had taken their own legal advice that a Humble Address cannot be used to oust the premier.
Opposition parties have been discussing suitable candidates to replace Johnson, with Labour Labour’s Harriet Harman and Tory Kenneth Clarke among names being floated. Leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn may not have enough support from other MPs to take on the role of care-taker prime minister.
Dominic Grieve, a former Conservative Attorney General, who was expelled from the party for voting against Johnson’s Brexit plan, said there could now be enough MPs to back a government of national unity. “I myself would be willing to support a government of national unity and potentially I think the numbers are there to deliver it,” Grieve told Bloomberg TV on Monday.
“It cannot be led by the leader of the opposition,” he said. “It’s not a criticism of him personally, but he has a highly partisan agenda, which he is perfectly entitled to hold, which is incompatible with a government of national unity.”
Corbyn is set to meet politicians from other opposition parties on Monday to discuss their strategy.
To contact the reporters on this story: Kitty Donaldson in Manchester at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net;Jessica Shankleman in Manchester at jshankleman@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Thomas Penny
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