London • Normally, in times of national crisis, British leaders convene Parliament. But as the country confronts its biggest crisis in many decades, Prime Minister Boris Johnson seems intent on doing the opposite.
On Wednesday, Johnson threw the Brexit debate into new turmoil by shortening the already dwindling time Parliament has left to try to prevent a potentially chaotic no-deal departure from the European Union. Opposition politicians denounced the move to limit the time for debate as undemocratic and possibly unconstitutional.
Johnson’s startling maneuver to tighten Parliament’s schedule in October set the stage for a heated compressed showdown with Parliament as the Oct.