Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government on Thursday dared lawmakers who want to stop a no-deal Brexit: change the law or change the government if you want to stop Britain leaving the European Union on October 31.
Britain is weeks away from leaving the EU but has yet to secure a deal with Brussels to soften the impact of breaking away from its biggest trading partner. Johnson says he wants a deal, but will leave without one if necessary.
Johnson enraged opponents by ordering the suspension of parliament for almost a month ahead of the Brexit deadline, limiting the scope for lawmakers to use parliamentary procedures and rules to block him.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, Leader of the House of Commons, taunted those lawmakers seeking to thwart Johnson.
“All these people who are wailing and gnashing of teeth know that there are two ways of doing what they want to do,” Rees-Mogg, a Brexit supporter who is in charge of managing government business in parliament, told the BBC.
“One, is to change the government and the other is to change the law. If they do either of those that will then have an effect.
“If they don’t have either the courage or the gumption to do either of those then we will leave on the 31st of October in accordance with the referendum result.”
