Johnson called parliament a ‘rigmarole’

Bloomberg

A key legal test of Boris Johnson’s plan to suspend parliament got underway in Edinburgh, with an attorney for a group of lawmakers saying that the prime minister’s move shows a “breathtaking” contempt for the UK’s constitution.
“This prime minister says in his own words, in his own handwriting, that the further sitting of Parliament is only a ‘rigmarole’ to show that MPs are earning their crust,” Aidan O’Neill, said, citing a note from Johnson in support of shutting parliament that was disclosed to the court. The government’s plan diminishes the role of lawmakers and deprives them time to debate a no-deal Brexit, he said.
The Scottish case is the first full court hearing of Johnson’s move to suspend debate in Westminster in the run-up to the October 31 Brexit deadline.
It comes as members of parliament themselves — in the time available before a prorogation comes into effect — prepare a bill to force Johnson to ask for an extension, with the PM in turn threatening a snap election if his negotiations with the European Union are undermined.
Judge Raymond Doherty brought forward the hearing in Edinburgh to Tuesday, saying it’s in the interest of justice that the case be heard quickly. He allowed the Scottish government’s request to intervene alongside the lawmakers.
The Edinburgh hearing isn’t the only legal case. There are separate hearings slated for London and Belfast, with claimants saying Johnson’s plan prevents lawmakers from holding the government accountable.
David Johnston, a lawyer for the UK government, said that it disclosed the PM’s handwritten document “in the interest of candor.”
The length of the suspension appeared to blindside lawmakers, with Johnson framing the plan as part of the normal course of government business. It’s set to last from September 12 until the Queen’s Speech on October 14.