UK Parliament Suspended Amongst Chaotic Scenes
Tuesday 10th September 2019 – 09:00 (BST)
Boris Johnson succeeded in shutting down Parliament last night following his second defeat in trying to call a snap election next month. MP’s are not due back until October 14th leaving little time to stop the UK undertaking a hard Brexit. Scuffles and protests ensued from both sides of the commons with some members even bursting into song.
It is yet to be seen whether new legislation that would force the prime minister to seek a delay until 31stJanuary should a deal not be struck with the EU will be approved in time for an October 19thdeadline.
Mr Johnson said the government would use the time Parliament was suspended to press on with negotiating a deal with the EU, while still “preparing to leave without one”.
Unsurprisingly, the pound has weakened during the opening minutes of trading today. This follows strong gains on Monday as the UK posted significantly better GDP, manufacturing and trade balance numbers – easing recession concerns and boosting market confidence.