Remain Die-Hards Threaten Government Shutdown if Boris Johnson Attempts Full Brexit in October

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 13: New members of the Cabinet (L-R) Foreign Secretary William Hagu
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Oliver JJ Lane

After several failed attempts to sabotage the Brexit process from within the House of Commons, die-hard Remain Members of Parliament will now attempt to starve the government of money if a future Prime Minister attempts to take Britain out of the European Union.

In preparation for a U.S. style shutdown proposed to sabotage any attempt by Boris Johnson — the Conservative Member of Parliament thought to be the front-runner to become the new Prime Minister next month — to fulfil his pledge to implement Brexit “do or die”, Remainers will vote next week to empower themselves to plunge the country into crisis to punish it for wanting to leave Europe.

Johnson’s pledge to take Britain out of the European Union on October 31st preferably with, but in extremis without a deal has angered some in the remain-dominated Parliament who maintain they should have the final say on whether to permit the result of the 2016 referendum from being enacted. Critics of those members of Parliament trying to throw roadblocks in the way of Brexit point out the house has already voted to approve the referendum, and then after passed legislation that meant the country would repeal the European Communities act automatically on withdrawal day. No further legislation is required for Britain to leave the European Union.

Under the wrecking plan, tax and borrowed money the government uses to pay for big-ticket items like schools and welfare payments would be withheld, reports The Times. The paper reports the plans are being spearheaded by a small group of MPs led by former Conservative attorney general Dominic Grieve, but would be backed by Labour.

Until recently a UK government shutdown as might happen in the United States was impossible because voting down spending plans — known as “estimates” in Westminster jargon — would also bring the government down. But a 2015 law change means this is no longer the case, leaving open the potential for a sitting government to be hamstrung.

The plot to sabotage the government to prevent Brexit comes months after a similar scheme which did not come to fruition, which saw MPs threatening a “Donald Trump-style shutdown” by amending the January Finance Bill to create the same effect. The attempt failed.

Turning off the financial taps is one of a suite of options to sabotage Brexit dreamt up by Dominic Grieve, one of the most active of anti-Brexit members of parliament. Breitbart London reported last week on his plan to bring down the government altogether. He said of the potential for a vote of no confidence in the government: “If a prime minister insists that they are going to crash us out of the European Union on October 31 with no deal… then I am pretty sure that there are a large number of Conservative MPs who will object to that happening.

“[They] will do everything possible to prevent it happening. I think the numbers are quite substantial.”

Boris Johnson’s lieutenant Dominic Raab — himself a former leadership contender and Brexit Secretary — rubbished these claims this week, when he pointed out that several Tory remainers had already walked back their position of being willing to bring down the government to force Brexit. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Raab said “vanishingly few” COnservative MPs would actually be willing to vote that way.

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