The speaker of Britain’s House of Commons John Bercow said disobeying the law “would be the most terrible example to set to the rest of society”, according to Britain’s Press Association news agency.

In a speech in London on Thursday, Bercow warned if the government comes close to doing so, parliament “would want to cut off such a possibility and do so forcefully”.

“If that demands additional procedural creativity in order to come to pass, it is a racing certainty that this will happen, and that neither the limitations of the existing rule book nor the ticking of the clock will stop it doing so”.

POOL/AFP/File / Victoria JonesBoris Johnson has denied he lied to Queen Elizabeth II when requesting the suspension of parliament this month

His comments came after Johnson denied he had lied to Queen Elizabeth II when requesting a suspension of parliament this month.

Johnson asked the British head of state to shutter parliament for five weeks from last Tuesday, claiming it was necessary ahead of rolling out a new domestic agenda.

The unusually long suspension — known as prorogation — was widely seen as a bid to thwart opposition to a no-deal departure on the October 31 Brexit date, and provoked uproar across the political spectrum as well as legal challenges.

Asked on Thursday if he had misled Queen Elizabeth over his motives for the suspension, which will see the House of Commons closed until October 14, Johnson said: “Absolutely not”.

Meanwhile in Brussels, EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said there was “no reason to be optimistic” about striking any divorce deal with Britain before a crucial October 17-18 EU summit.

– Problems mounting –

Problems are mounting for Johnson, who finds himself increasingly boxed in on Brexit.

His government was forced Wednesday to release its no-deal Brexit contingency plans after a parliamentary vote.

And Scotland’s highest civil court on the same day sided with critics of the prorogation, ruling it was “unlawful” and intended to “stymie parliament”.

AFP/File / Daniel LEAL-OLIVASA government study warned of queues at British ports in the event of a no-deal Brexit

The government has appealed the decision and the case is set to be heard in Britain’s Supreme Court on Tuesday.

In the meantime, parliament remains suspended.

Tom Brake, Brexit spokesman for the pro-EU opposition Liberal Democrats, said the government was withholding internal documents, messages and emails about the decision to prorogue parliament.

“I suspect that those documents… will confirm that the prime minister lied about the reason why,” he told AFP.

“We all know that the reason he wanted to shut down parliament is because he didn’t want parliament holding him to account.”

– ‘Worst-case scenario’ –

Johnson also vowed Thursday that Britain will be ready for a no-deal departure from the EU on October 31, despite his own government’s assessment that planning remained “at a low level”.

The prime minister insisted the government had been “massively accelerating” its preparations since the August 2 internal report, which was disclosed on Wednesday after MPs voted for its release.

He called the “Operation Yellowhammer” forecast, which warned of possible civil unrest and shortages of food and medicines following a no-deal, a “worst-case scenario”.

AFP / John SAEKIRisk of a no-deal Brexit

 

“All the industries that matter will be ready for a no-deal Brexit,” Johnson said.

The documents painted a grim picture of possible “public disorder and community tensions” as well as logjams at Channel ports, threatening supplies, after a no-deal departure.

Johnson took office in July promising to implement the 2016 referendum decision by leaving the EU on October 31 no matter what.

But he lost his parliamentary majority last week after a series of defections and expulsions from his governing Conservative Party amid opposition to his strident Brexit stance.

The British leader wants to renegotiate the divorce terms struck by his predecessor Theresa May, which MPs have repeatedly rejected.

In particular, he wants to change the so-called backstop provisions, which concern ways to keep the Northern Irish border with the Republic of Ireland open in all scenarios.

But European leaders accuse him of offering no viable alternatives. AFP

“Unbeknownst to almost everyone, the major Taliban leaders and, separately, the President of Afghanistan, were going to secretly meet with me at Camp David on Sunday,” Trump said in a tweet.

“Unfortunately, in order to build false leverage, they admitted to an attack in Kabul that killed one of our great great soldiers, and 11 other people. I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations.”

“What kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position? They didn’t, they only made it worse!” Trump said.

Washington was jolted by the announcement from Trump, who is fond of dramatic gestures but whose Twitter pronouncements have often come into question later.

“Why a lethal attack in Kabul on Thursday would be the reason for calling it off, considering the multiple recent Taliban attacks, is unclear,” said International Crisis Group’s Asia director Laurel Miller, who earlier served as the US special representative on Afghanistan.

Congressman Tom Malinowski, a Democrat who has been pressing for clarity on the US strategy in Afghanistan, called the idea of Taliban leaders at Camp David “weird.”

“But I’m glad the president called off this farce, and hope this good decision sticks,” Malinowski tweeted.

– Deal unpopular in Kabul –

The announcement appears to abruptly end, at least for now, a painstaking diplomatic process led for nearly a year by Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born veteran US diplomat who held nine rounds of talks with the Taliban, usually in Qatar.

AFP/File / WAKIL KOHSAR An Afghan woman weeps for relatives after a suicide attack in Kabul

 

Khalilzad had earlier said that he had reached an agreement “in principle” with the Taliban.

According to parts of the draft deal made public, the Pentagon would pull about 5,000 of the roughly 13,000 US troops from five bases across Afghanistan next year.

The insurgents in turn would renounce Al-Qaeda, promise to fight the Islamic State group and stop jihadists using Afghanistan as a safe haven.

Afghanistan’s internationally recognized president, Ashraf Ghani, had been outspoken in his criticism of the emerging shape of the withdrawal agreement with the Taliban, who have refused to negotiate with his government.

“The Afghan government, in relation to the peace, appreciates the sincere efforts of its allies and is committed to working together with the United States and other allies to bring a lasting peace,” said a statement from Ghani’s office Sunday in response to Trump’s announcement.

– Question mark on troops –

Trump’s announcement draws a fresh question mark on whether the United States will leave Afghanistan anytime soon.

AFP/File / KARIM JAAFARZalmay Khalilzad, seen here during intra-Afghan talks in Doha in July 2019, negotiated for around a year with the Taliban

 

The decision comes weeks before Afghanistan is set to hold elections, an unwieldy exercise even in more stable times. The Afghan government said it “insists” the polls should go ahead in its statement Sunday.

Trump had been uncharacteristically reticent about Afghanistan in recent weeks, with all eyes on whether he would approve a final deal.

Washington had hoped that a withdrawal of US troops would lead to peace negotiations between the Taliban and Kabul.

The Taliban have shown no signs of letting up on violence. Claiming responsibility for Thursday’s bombing in Kabul, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that a suicide bomber had killed “foreign invaders.”

“Since the Taliban were flexing muscles on the ground, Americans also showed them they have a say politically,” analyst Ahmad Saeedi said — adding that he expects talks to resume again.

Trump has walked away from high-stakes talks before. In February, his aides pressed him not to accept a deal in Hanoi with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un — another individual whom it would have long been unthinkable for a US president to meet.

But Trump soon made clear that he wanted to keep talking, calling Kim a friend, and arranged to meet him in June as the US leader visited the Korean peninsula. AFP