London, September 2: With the possibility of snap general elections looming in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson called an "emergency meeting" at the 10 Downing Street on Monday. The meet, which was scheduled for 5 pm (local time), was likely to discuss the possibility of nationwide polls in case the no-deal Brexit Bill gets defeated in the Parliament. Queen Elizabeth II Clears British PM Boris Johnson's Plan to Suspend UK Parliament Ahead of Brexit Deadline
The meeting was triggered amid a Tory rebellion, with several ex-Cabinet Ministers threatening to back the Labour in their opposition to Johnson's legislation to leave the European Union on October 31 without a deal in place. The move, said former Chancellor Philip Hammond, will leave the Britain weakly poised in an environment of intense geopolitical stifle and global trade slowdown.
The rebellion was triggered after Queen Elizabeth, who is the nominal head of the UK government, agreed to dissolve the Parliament's ongoing session on request of the Prime Minister.
The Labour party lawmakers, along with the anti-Johnson camp within Tory legislature party, are expected to use "SO24" or Standing Order 24 which mandates the MPs to seek a debate in the House on "specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration".
This will thwart Johnson-led government's bid to pass the no-deal Brexit without a debate in the two Houses of the UK Parliament.
Labour chief and Leader of Opposition Jeremy Corbyn has already demanded Johnson to face a fresh election, rather than "undemocratically" passing the no-deal Brexit Bill.
"We have a Prime Minister who hasn’t won an election and who doesn’t have a majority. When he decrees that parliament will be shut down because his plan for No Deal doesn’t have the votes, we say that is an attack on democracy which will be resisted," Corbyn said, further adding that his party is ready for the snap general elections.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 02, 2019 09:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).