UK leader Johnson faces backlash over his tone

News

September 26, 2019 - 10:15 AM

Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a backlash from furious lawmakers today over his use of charged and confrontational language in Parliament about opponents of his Brexit plan. The Speaker of the House of Commons warned that the country’s political culture had turned “toxic.”

In a raucous, bad-tempered debate on Wednesday, Johnson characterized an opposition law ordering a Brexit delay as a “surrender act” and a “humiliation bill” and said delaying Brexit would “betray” British voters. He also brushed off concerns that his forceful language might endanger legislators as “humbug.”

Johnson took power two months ago with a “do or die” promise that Britain will leave the European Union on the scheduled date of Oct. 31, with or without a Brexit divorce deal. He’s pitting himself against lawmakers who are determined to avoid a no-deal exit, which economists say would disrupt trade with the EU and plunge the U.K. into recession.

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