Heading toward a constitutional crisis and a confrontation with the EU, the U.K. is currently locked in an internal deadlock and is spiraling into a complete state of disorder and chaos. The dissociation between Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government and any kind of opposition has become so insurmountable that it is currently impossible for either side to come to an understanding about any issue, let alone Brexit.
Since Sunday Times' leak of the official documents on Sunday concerning Britain's possible fuel, food and medicine shortages in the wake of a no-deal, political tensions have reached an all-time high. Setting out a vision of jammed ports, public protests and widespread disruption, the documents said the forecasts compiled by the Cabinet Office set out the most likely aftershocks of a no-deal Brexit rather than the worst-case scenarios.
Johnson's office said it did not comment on the leaked documents. However, Michael Gove, the minister in charge of coordinating no-deal preparations, challenged that interpretation, saying the documents set out worst-case scenarios and that planning had been accelerated in the last three weeks. It could be argued that the documents were leaked in the worst possible time.
Johnson will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel this week to tell them that the Westminster Parliament cannot stop Brexit, and a new deal must be agreed on if Britain is to avoid leaving the EU without one.
Johnson looks to fight fire with fire, as he's now opposing Parliament openly; however, this combative stance is the last thing that Britain currently needs. The present direction that the prime minister is set on pursuing only worsens the political climate of his country and increases the possibility of very radical and dangerous decisions to be taken against him and his government in the coming days.
After more than three years of Brexit dominating EU affairs, the bloc has repeatedly refused to reopen the withdrawal agreement. A group of more than 100 lawmakers wrote to Johnson calling for an emergency recall of Parliament to discuss the situation. "We face a national emergency, and Parliament must now be recalled in August and sit permanently until Oct. 31 so that the voices of the people can be heard and that there can be proper scrutiny of your government," the letter said. It is, however, unclear if lawmakers have the unity or power to use the British Parliament to prevent a no-deal departure, likely to be the U.K.'s most significant foreign policy move since World War II.
Merkel said during a panel discussion at the Chancellery: "We are prepared for any outcome, we can say that, even if we do not get an agreement. But at all events I will make an effort to find solutions, up until the last day of negotiations."
Johnson is coming under pressure from politicians across the political spectrum to prevent a disorderly departure, with opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn vowing to bring down Johnson's government to delay Brexit.
Britain's Parliament needs to be recalled from its summer break immediately to discuss Brexit, the opposition Labor Party's finance spokesman John McDonnell said yesterday. "There's a need now to bring MPs [members of Parliament] back together again, because we need time now to really have a proper debate and discussion about this," McDonnell told BBC radio. Taking Boris Johnson's determination into consideration, the chances that Parliament will stay idle for longer look bleak, as opposition desperately awaits a last-minute rescue to put a stop to this one-sided affair. Parliament is currently not due to sit until Sept. 3.