Lindsay Hoyle berated Johnson for far-reaching restrictions on COVID-19 without scrutiny. (File)
London:
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was reprimanded on Wednesday by the Speaker of Parliament for treating lawmakers with contempt by rushing through far-reaching restrictions on COVID-19 without a full review.
In a rare intervention by the first leader of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle berated Johnson ahead of his weekly question-and-answer session for setting rules in a “totally unsatisfying” way.
Johnson, who is due to hold a press conference with chief government scientists at 5 p.m. (4:00 p.m. GMT), is grappling with a second wave of the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak and growing anger over restrictions on citizens.
“The way the government has exercised its legislative powers during this crisis has been totally unsatisfactory,” Hoyle told parliament.
Hoyle, who as speaker directs the debates and is the highest authority in the House of Commons, added that he hoped the government “would no longer treat her with the contempt it has shown.”
Britain, which has the worst official death toll in Europe, reported 7,143 new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, the highest figure to date.
Sections of the UK and millions of citizens are subject to local restrictions introduced in an attempt to slow the second wave of COVID-19 infections. Britain has reported more than 42,072 deaths from the virus – the fifth highest total in the world.
LOCKING COUNTERGAME
Johnson, who had to apologize after muddling over local lockdown rules, faces growing anger within his own Conservative party over the toughest restrictions in peacetime history that are destroying parts of the economy.
Several conservative lawmakers threatened to rebel against the government on Wednesday for renewing the coronavirus law.
A rebellion would undermine Johnson’s authority and ministers have tried to defuse any revolt by promising Parliament to involve him more.
But the speaker said he would not allow Parliament to vote on an amendment by High Tory Graham Brady that could have forced the government to gain parliamentary approval before further national restrictions were imposed.
“We need the pre-approval of measures, major measures nationally and even regionally that take away people’s freedoms,” Steve Baker, a prominent rebel party lawmaker, told the BBC .
As Johnson battles both COVID-19 and dissent within the party ranks, the economic damage has been laid bare. The UK economy shrank a record 19.8% in the second quarter of 2020 – more than any other major advanced economy.
“We will do our utmost to save every job,” Johnson told parliament.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
