The Conversation (0)
News
Lowenna Waters
Sep 17, 2019
Lord Sumption, a former UK Supreme Court judge, has claimed that Boris Johnson is taking a 'hammer and sickle' to our political culture in a bizarre claim which has caused widespread confusion online.
Speaking on BBC Newsnight, Sumption claimed that he could not see how the prime minister "can leave [the EU] without a deal on October 31st."
He also said that the Benn Act is a "tightly drafted piece of legislation" and that Boris making the claims was an "absurdity".
Former judge Sumption was damning over how the government is behaving, adding that it would be odd if the Supreme Court ruled differently to Scotland, adding:
The law is exactly the same in both Scotland and England, there may be a difference opinions in the Scottish courts to the English courts as to what it is.
We have the same parliament and the same monarch for 300 years and there can't be a different law in Scotland and in England about what the relations between them are.
One of the two courts is wrong. The orthodox opinion is the one given by the English courts but, one has to accept if you behave outrageously and defy the political culture on which our constitution depends, a lot of judges are going to be tempted to push the limits there.
Finally, he said:
The problem is Boris Johnson has taken a 'hammer and sickle' to our political culture, in a way that's profoundly provocative to people who believe there ought to be solutions consistent with our traditions."
Undoubtedly the government has behaved disgracefully and that is a situation in which it's going to be very difficult to predict what happens.
Erm, excuse me?
Many people on social media thought the comparison to the Communist symbol was bizarre, to say the least.
HT New European
More: Boris Johnson skipped a press conference because of boos and there are memes, lots of memes
More: This compilation of Boris Johnson being heckled by the public shows just how unpopular he is