# Prime Minister Boris Johnson tries to lead the UK but has resigned on July 7, 2022 **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 30, 2019, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872 "2019-07-30T14:24:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/422 "2019-09-22T17:28:09Z")
[Boris Johnson heads to UN, urging world to see beyond Brexit](https://apnews.com/b0a6edcbdeea4c2bb6829e477a46e629) > [@](#): > > Prime Minister Boris Johnson headed for the United Nations in New York on Sunday to argue that post-Brexit Britain will be a dynamic world power taking the lead on tackling climate change and an unstable Middle East. But he and his country face some big hurdles. > > He is struggling to strike a withdrawal agreement with a skeptical European Union, and a looming verdict from Britain’s Supreme Court could derail his Brexit plans. > [@](#): > > But many leaders of the 28-nation bloc mistrust Johnson, a brash Brexit champion who played a big role in persuading British voters in 2016 to opt to leave the EU. And they say Britain has not come up with workable ways to maintain an open border between EU member Ireland and the U.K.’s Northern Ireland — the key sticking point in the dispute. How much longer can he get by with “trust me” while doing nothing? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/423 "2019-09-22T18:17:00Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [Boris Johnson heads to UN, urging world to see beyond Brexit](https://apnews.com/b0a6edcbdeea4c2bb6829e477a46e629)How much longer can he get by with “trust me” while doing nothing? 40 days, max. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/424 "2019-09-23T12:52:59Z")
[Johnson says he’ll tell Trump: Hands off UK health service](https://apnews.com/19f4a9bd02104237a9b8c4f762fbbfd9) > [@](#): > > Johnson told reporters flying with him to New York that he would tell Trump “that when we do a free trade deal, we must take sure that the (National Health Service) is not on the table, that we do not in any way prejudice or jeopardize our standards on animal welfare and food hygiene in the course of that deal, and that we open up American markets.” > [@](#): > > Opponents of Brexit fear the NHS — an overstretched but much-loved institution founded in 1948 to provide free health care to all Britons — will be opened up to private U.S. firms as part of trade negotiations. They also have suggested Britain may have to accept chlorine-washed chicken, a U.S. poultry industry practice that is banned in the European Union. Johnson also continues to push his “I’m making progress” lie: > [@](#): > > “If you think about when I first became prime minister, everybody was saying there’s absolutely no chance whatever of changing the existing agreement,” he said. “And I think nobody’s saying that (now).” > > “I think a large number of the important partners really do want a deal,” he said. :rolleyes: That’s his tell, I suppose: saying “I think” before he tells a lie, thus avoiding making any factual claims. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/425 "2019-09-23T13:22:55Z")
From the BBC: > [@](#): > > A ruling on the legality of Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend Parliament will be announced by the Supreme Court on Tuesday at 10:30 BST. > **[Supreme Court to rule on Parliament suspension on Tuesday](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49795111)** > > Judges have been considering whether Boris Johnson's five-week prorogation was lawful. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/426 "2019-09-23T13:47:37Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [Johnson says he’ll tell Trump: Hands off UK health service](https://apnews.com/19f4a9bd02104237a9b8c4f762fbbfd9)Johnson also continues to push his “I’m making progress” lie::rolleyes: The question of the day is whether Johnson will be keeping his hands off the women he’s travelling with. > **[Metro Newspaper site Metro.news has a new online home on Metro.co.uk | Metro UK](https://metro.co.uk/newspaper/)** > > Exciting news: Metro.News has merged with metro.co.uk! > [@](#): > > BORIS JOHNSON is facing calls to give a full account of his actions after claims emerged that he failed to declare potential conflicts of interest over his ‘close friendship’ with a pole-dancing American businesswoman. > > Reports said that technology entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri, 34, was given thousands of pounds in public money and privileged access to three overseas trade missions when the prime minister, 55, was London mayor. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/427 "2019-09-24T09:47:28Z")
The Supreme Court has ruled the prorogation unlawful. “Parliament has not been prorogued. This is the unanimous judgment of all eleven justices.” Edit: [Link to an article.](https://www.theguardian.com/law/2019/sep/24/boris-johnsons-suspension-of-parliament-unlawful-supreme-court-rules-prorogue) ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/428 "2019-09-24T09:48:29Z")
Bump. The UK Supreme Court has just ruled Boris Johnson’s prorogation of Parliament was illegal. > [@](#): > > “The prorogation was void and of no effect,” Lady Hale says. “Parliament has not been prorogued.” ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/429 "2019-09-24T09:50:17Z")
330 years of precedent. Hit for a huge six. :eek:. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/430 "2019-09-24T10:00:06Z")
Nobody was expecting a unanimous verdict. That gives it a huge amount of force. Bercow says he will reconvene parliament urgently. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/431 "2019-09-24T10:02:53Z")
[Summary of judgment](https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/docs/uksc-2019-0192-summary.pdf) [PDF] [Full judgment](https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/docs/uksc-2019-0192-judgment.pdf) [PDF] ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/432 "2019-09-24T10:03:42Z")
From the summary - > [@](#): > > This Court has already concluded that the Prime Minister’s advice to Her Majesty was unlawful, void and of no effect. This means that the Order in Council to which it led was also unlawful, void and of no effect and should be quashed. This means that when the Royal Commissioners walked into the House of Lords it was as if they walked in with a blank sheet of paper. The prorogation was also void and of no effect. Parliament has not been prorogued. This is the unanimous judgment of all 11 Justices. This is astonishing, and appears to be a major change to the powers of the Monarch and the PM. Whilst strengthening the powers of Parliament is not a bad thing, of course, it’s a major thing that will have serious consequences for years to come. I can’t see how Boris can stay on as PM now, but what then? Parliament has shown it doesn’t want an election, and one can’t now be held before Oct 31st anyway, and I’m not sure if there’s anyone in the House who could command a stable majority to deal with Brexit. Plus, of course, this gives more ammunition for the Tories in the next election (whenever it is) to claim that democracy is being thwarted by activist courts, and that wil play well with some people. Time to read the full judgement. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/433 "2019-09-24T10:04:30Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > 330 years of precedent. Hit for a huge six. :eek:. On the contrary, it _upholds_ centuries of legal and constitutional precedent. Read the judgment. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/434 "2019-09-24T10:08:04Z")
Christ, everytime I think WE’RE wack. I got no idea what this means in the near term, but I’m willing to bet it’ll be confused and unclear. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/435 "2019-09-24T10:18:19Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > This is astonishing, and appears to be a major change to the powers of the Monarch and the PM. I don’t see that anything has changed. Parliamentary supremacy established since 1689 has been upheld. The PM is, and always has been, subordinate to parliament and answerable to parliament. The Queen acts only on the advice of the PM. Johnson’s attempt to establish a presidential-style government and make parliament subordinate to the executive has been thwarted. His attempt to close down parliamentary debate and act like a tin-pot dictator has failed. The traditional British constitution has prevailed. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/436 "2019-09-24T10:23:38Z")
I LOVED the spider on Lady Hale’s dress, by the way! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/437 "2019-09-24T10:30:40Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > The traditional British constitution has prevailed. It clearly hasn’t, because 3 centuries of precedent have been ignored in reaching a judgement based on (as the judgement makes clear at the very beginning) “circumstances which have never arisen before and are unlikely ever to arise again”. This decison, rightly or wrongly, significantly curtails the power of the Monarch as exercised by the PM. That’s a huge constitutional change, unless you want to claim that all prior prorogations that were longer than this, or done for political purposes, were in fact illegal. They, of course, weren’t - it was a rarely used but accepted tool of Governemnt. What we now have, especially when combined with the Fixed Term Parliament Act, is a system where the means to remove a dysfunctional Parliament are seriously weakened. That may well be considered a good thing by those who think democracy is an end in itself rather than a means to good governance, but I think the shift in balance will have major unforseen unintended consequences. All that said, in the short term Parliament returning will hopefully be a good thing, and could possibly lead to some sort of resolution to Brexit. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/438 "2019-09-24T10:34:00Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > I don’t see that anything has changed. Parliamentary supremacy established since 1689 has been upheld. > The traditional British constitution has prevailed. There are two answers to that. One is “no”; the other is “fuck no”. “Parliament” consists of the Commons, Lords and the Sovereign. Parliament has attempted to execute a recognized procedure. And has been told “nyet”. How the hell is it “traditional”,”? ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/439 "2019-09-24T10:40:41Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > It clearly hasn’t, because 3 centuries of precedent have been ignored in reaching a judgement based on (as the judgement makes clear at the very beginning) “circumstances which have never arisen before and are unlikely ever to arise again”. If the circumstances “have never arisen before and are unlikely ever to arise again”, then how can you possibly say there have been 3 centuries of precedent?  :dubious: 3 centuries of _principle_ have been _upheld_. > [@Steophan](#): > > This decison, rightly or wrongly, significantly curtails the power of the Monarch as exercised by the PM. No, it does not in the least. Please explain how exactly you think the power of the monarch has been curtailed. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/440 "2019-09-24T10:44:36Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > There are two answers to that. One is “no”; the other is “fuck no”. > “Parliament” consists of the Commons, Lords and the Sovereign. Parliament has attempted to execute a recognized procedure. And has been told “nyet”. How the hell is it “traditional”,”? Um… you seem to be confused. Sovereign parliament did NOT attempt to execute a recognized procedure. On the contrary, the sovereign parliament strongly OPPOSED the prorogation at this time. A PM with delusions of grandeur thought he could override the will of a sovereign parliament and ignore it. He was wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/441 "2019-09-24T10:46:54Z")
Jeremy Corbyn has not disappointed in his continuing ability to take what could be a major political victory and turn it into a cup of weak tea: > [@Jezza](#): > > And I invite Boris Johnson, in the historic words, to consider his position. Wow. The Leader of the Opposition, pulling no punches there. Where I’d like to be a fly on the wall would be the next meeting betwixt Her Majesty and Boris. **That’s** going to be an awkward conversation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872.md?page=23)