British opposition leader sees next week as 'last chance' to stop no-deal Brexit

LONDON - The leader of British opposition Labour, Jeremy Corbyn, on Saturday said the coming days are the "last chance" to stop a no-deal Brexit before British parliament is suspended under Prime Minister Boris Johnson's controversial plans.

Corbyn made the remarks in response to a question about comments made by Keir Starmer, a Labour member of parliament who is shadow secretary of state for exiting the European Union, during an event in Glasgow on Saturday as part of a three-day visit to Scotland before parliament resumes in Westminster on Sept 3.

Starmer was reported to have said that next week being the final opportunity to stop Britain from leaving the European Union without an agreement.

In answering the question, Corbyn said, "Yes, it is the last chance and we will do absolutely everything we can to prevent a no-deal Brexit and the prime minister taking us into the hands of (US President) Donald Trump and a trade deal with the USA."

"That is the real agenda of the prime minister," said the opposition leader. "There is a lot of work being done in preparation for next Tuesday."

Parliament reconvenes for just six days after the summer recess ends. Thousands of demonstrators on Saturday took to the streets across Britain in protest against the prime minister's decision to suspend parliament.

The prime minister, who vowed to take his country out of the European Union on Oct 31 with or without a deal, decided to prorogue parliament until Oct 14, two weeks before the Brexit deadline.

The decision led to rising tensions between the government and parliament in a divisive country due to disagreements on how to leave the European Union.

Johnson insists the move was to allow the government to hold a Queen's Speech and outline an "exciting" agenda for the future.

But critics say his intention is to stop MPs from plotting against him to stop a no-deal Brexit.

A cross-party group of MPs are hoping to force the prime minister to ask the European Union for an extension to the deadline if a deal is not agreed in time, while Corbyn said that he would call a vote of no-confidence at the appropriate moment.

Protesters gathered in dozens of locations around the country including London, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, Brighton, Swansea, Bristol and Liverpool.

Further mass demonstrations are expected in Britain when members of parliament return to Westminster on Tuesday.

With parliament returning on Tuesday, Johnson is understood to be aiming to persuade some legislators not to rebel as he hopes to quell an attempt to introduce legislation through parliament to delay Brexit beyond Oct 31.