British PM Johnson promises to end 'paralysis' over Brexit
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday said if he wins next month's general election, he would end the "paralysis" in Parliament over Brexit but warned that a victory for the Opposition Labour Party would mean a "horror show" and further delay in UK's divorce from the EU.
Johnson met Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, marking the official start of the election period in the run-up to the December 12 poll. The Prime Minister's audience with the Queen lasted about 20 minutes, the BBC reported.
While the election has already been approved by the MPs, the Queen still has to sign a royal proclamation confirming the end of the last Parliament.
In a statement outside No 10 marking the start of his campaign, Johnson said if returned to power he would end the "paralysis" in Parliament and take the UK out of the European Union in January.
A Labour victory would mean a "horror show" of further Brexit delay, he warned. The 28-member EU has agreed to extend the Brexit deadline until January 31, 2020. The UK joined in 1973. If the UK leaves, it would be the first member state to withdraw from the EU.
Johnson said he did not want to call the election but was forced to act in the face of Parliament's repeated efforts to block his "great Brexit deal".
If his "modern and compassionate" party won the election, Johnson said he would take the UK out of the EU within six weeks, a move which would release a "flood of pent-up investment" in the economy.
In contrast, a Labour victory would result in another referendum and a second vote on Scottish independence, the prime minister was quoted as saying by the BBC. "If I come back with a working majority, I will get Parliament working again," he said.
"Come with us and get Brexit done and take the country forward or spend the whole of 2020 in a horror show of dither and delay." He appealed the voters to "change this blockading Parliament" and boot out MPs trying to stop Brexit from happening.
Earlier, Johnson wrote in the Telegraph, "With a new parliament and a sensible majority government, we can get that deal through a new Parliament in days. It is oven ready. Let's get Brexit done, and take this country forward."
Johnson also compared Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin for "hating" businesses. Wednesday's dissolution ended the shortest parliamentary session since 1948, with the Commons having met for only 19 days since the state opening on October 14, the BBC reported.
