Neil Hall / Pool via REUTERS / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP /Getty Images
- Boris Johnson has come under fire from politicians, the general public, and Hugh Grant for his decision to suspend Parliament in order to force through Brexit.
- Grant tweeted on Wednesday: "You will not fuck with my children’s future."
- The actor also called the prime minister an "over-promoted rubber bath toy," and called his cabinet a "little gang of masturbatory prefects."
- A petition set up to oppose the suspension of Parliament quickly gathered over a million signatures, and protests broke out across the country.
- Johnson’s move is seen by many as an attack on democracy as it will allow little time to pass legislation preventing a no-deal Brexit before the UK’s leave date of October 31.
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On Wednesday, the queen agreed to Boris Johnson’s request to suspend Parliament for almost a month from mid-September.
The move is seen by many as an attack on democracy as it will allow little time for MPs who oppose a no-deal Brexit to pass any legislation preventing it before the UK’s leave date of October 31.
Thousands took to the streets outside Parliament Wednesday evening and Thursday morning to protest the decision, while others expressed their outrage online.
One such voice came from an unlikely source: Hugh Grant.
Grant wrote on Twitter: "You will not fuck with my children’s future.
"You will not destroy the freedoms my grandfather fought two world wars to defend.
"Fuck off you over-promoted rubber bath toy. Britain is revolted by you and you little gang of masturbatory prefects."
Grant’s vitriolic tweet was a hit, receiving some 260,000 likes at the time of writing, and even making it onto a protest sign that same evening.
John Keeble / Getty Images
A petition set up to oppose the suspension of Parliament quickly gathered over a million signatures.
Johnson also came under fire from his colleagues in Parliament.
The House of Commons’ speaker, John Bercow, described the decision as a "constitutional outrage."
"However it is dressed up it is blindingly obvious that the purpose of prorogation now would be to stop Parliament debating Brexit and performing its duty," he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, former Conservative Chancellor Philip Hammond tweeted saying: "It would be a constitutional outrage if Parliament were prevented from holding the government to account at a time of national crisis.
"Profoundly undemocratic."
Naomi Smith, the CEO of the pro-EU group Best for Britain, had a stern warning for the queen, who had approved Johnson’s request: "If the queen is asked to help, she would do well to remember history doesn’t look too kindly on royals who aid and abet the suspension of democracy."
Johnson attempted to reassure his colleagues in a letter to Parliament, saying that MPs would have ample time to debate Brexit after negotiations with the EU had taken place.
"Parliament will have the opportunity to debate the Government’s overall programme, and approach to Brexit, in the run up to EU Council, and then vote on this on 21 and 22 October, once we know the outcome of the Council," he wrote.
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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Tom Murray)