The role of the Parliament between June 2017 and December 2019: exemplarity or obstruction?

By Aurélien Antoine
English

After a referendum that deeply split the United Kingdom, Brexit discord crystallized within the Parliament. The lack of a majority in Westminster for a withdrawal agreement caused a conflict between the Parliament and the Cabinet, even though the British institutional system is normally characterized by the complete fusion between the two organs. For a specialist of the British Constitution, the first stage of Brexit (June 2017 to December 2019) is a propitious ground to explain how the Parliament can be a counter-power against a weakened Government. Nevertheless, the incapacity of the Members of Parliament to find an alternative to the choices supported by two successive Tory governments led to a constitutional crisis, which was finally resolved by a general election and the restoration of the parliamentary logic.

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