UK House convenes

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was set to face MPs yesterday after they reconvened following the Supreme Court’s damning judgement that his suspension of parliament in the run-up to Brexit was unlawful.

Johnson flew back from the UN General Assembly in New York into a major crisis that has sparked calls for his resignation just weeks before Britain is due to leave the European Union on October 31.

Despite the stunning rebuke from the highest court in the land, the Conservative leader continues to insist he will take Britain out of the bloc next month even if he cannot agree exit terms with Brussels.

However, Attorney General Geoffrey Cox told MPs the government would abide by a law passed this month demanding Brexit be delayed to avoid a “no-deal” exit.

Cox did not explain how the government could do so and still keep its promise.

Cox was summoned to the House of Commons to answer questions about Tuesday’s court judgment, until Johnson -- who only landed mid-morning -- can set out his next steps later in the day.

The government’s top lawyer said ministers respected the historic ruling that Johnson’s suspension or prorogation of parliament for five weeks until October 14 was unlawful.

“We lost, we got it wrong,” Cox said.

He suggested that in response, the government would try for a third time to call a snap election to try to resolve the political impasse over Brexit.

The leader of the main opposition Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn, has called on Johnson to resign following the court ruling.

However, he told the BBC he would not call a confidence vote in parliament until the possibility of a no-deal Brexit has been eliminated.

Johnson, who only took office in July, insists he suspended parliament to allow his new government to launch a fresh legislative programme.

But critics accuse him of trying to silence MPs, the majority of whom object to his threat to leave the EU without a deal.

In rowdy scenes in the packed House of Commons, Cox accused MPs of trying to block Brexit at every turn. 

He charged Labour with being “cowardly” for having twice rejected Johnson’s call for fresh elections to resolve the political impasse.