Dark Future Awaiting Johnson’s Government: Analyst

In an interview with ILNA, Majid Tafreshi commented on the tensions between Prime Minister Johnson and the UK Parliament.

“The recent conflicts in London have escalated so greatly that everybody has become concerned about the future of Boris Johnson’s incoming government, and believes that Britain is heading towards the problems with a quite dark prospect,” Tafreshi said.

“The basic (current) problem in London is that Johnson’s government is faced with a Parliament in which the cabinet and the prime minister himself are not in the majority. Reports suggest that Liberal Democrats have been strengthened in recent days to the detriment of Boris Johnson. These have all happened while Johnson still follows the dream of a no-deal Brexit, which has become an absolute nightmare for Britain.”

“The UK government and Johnson have failed to attract the Parliament’s support for a hard Brexit. Even the European Union is seeking to pressurize him into avoiding a no-deal Brexit. In this regard, the hours ahead would be very tough for Johnson,” he said.

“Under these conditions, Johnson would have three paths out of the predicament: first, dissolution of the Parliament and holding a new election to design and implement the no-deal Brexit; second, postponing the Brexit; and third, holding a new referendum on Brexit, which would undoubtedly require a new government to hold the office. Johnson would be wanting to marginalize and put off the latter option. He wants to put the British people in a situation where there’s no choice, so that the Conservatives could win the votes. However, these are not the only problems, because the leader of the Labour Party has a different scenario in mind,” he explained.

Referring to the recent comments and stances from the UK Labour Party’s leader, Tafreshi said, “Jeremy Corbyn seeks to put pressure on Johnson for holding an early election in order to hit the Conservatives ultimately. His remarks and behaviour have naturally concerned the Jewish lobby in the UK and inside the Parliament, and as a result, he might receive a blow from that current and end up being marginalized. Because his replacement will be more favorable to both the Jewish lobby and Johnson. In the meanwhile, Boris Johnson is interested in carrying out the hard Brexit, but the question is whether he can do it, because he will have to win support from the European countries. On the other hand, disagreements inside Britain are so strong that his dream of a hard Brexit has turned into a nightmare.”

“One should consider that the UK Parliament went on recess in August, but it was clear that we would see the lull before the storm in September and October, because the case of Brexit is still open and faces a bleak future. In the meanwhile, the attacks on Corbyn have increased, since Johnson thought that he could take advantage of this party to serve his interests. In such conditions, the right-leaning British media are constantly releasing and reviewing reports about Corbyn’s support for Palestine, Iran, and closer ties with Muslims, as well as about his anti-war activities, and have come to a common conclusion that he is anti-Semite. Corbyn has repeatedly dismissed these allegations and has stated that he is not an anti-Semite, but attacks on him still continue,” Tafreshi added.

“Johnson’s ploy to deal with Corbyn is to label him an anti-Semite in order to beat him out and relieve the pressures. Johnson had already used a similar scenario against the former mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, that worked, but I believe that Corbyn is not facing a serious threat. What has become possible for now is that an early election could take place, probably during the last three weeks of September until mid-October.”

“On the other hand, Johnson is likely to be dismissed, because it is all about Brexit and he is unable to perform a hard exit. However, the resignation of individuals like Jo Johnson – Boris Johnson’s younger brother and a member of the Conservative Party – because of his support for the national interest and family commitments clearly indicates that the situation within the ruling party is not appropriate,” he concluded.