UK PM Boris Johnson rallies Conservative party for Brexit fight

Embattled British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gars his Conservative party on Septemeber 29 for what could be its final conference before an election, with garing set to be dominated by Brexit. Despite a string of parliamentary setbacks and a defeat in Supreme Court, Johnson insists he will take Britain out of European Union, with or without a deal, on October 31. His stance has put him at odds with House of Commons, which has passed a law blocking a "-deal" exit and lost him a number of his own MPs. But it resonates with many pro-Brexit voters and particularly with Conservative party members who elected him in July, and are expected to give him a hero's welcome.

conference "will be a rally for Boris Johnson and a rally for Brexit", predicted Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London.

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Risks of disruption by Parliament

four-day meeting in Manchester, rthwest England, however, risks being disrupted by parliamentary business back in London. MPs were furious at Johnson's decision to suspend parliament for five weeks in early September -- a move Supreme Court quashed on Tuesday -- and refused to agree to rmal conference recess. Opposition parties are threatening as yet unspecified maeuvres that could force ministers to race back to parliament over coming days. But in what will be seen as a snub to MPs, Johnson will deliver his closing speech as planned on Wednesday, when he should be answering questions in Commons.
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Johnson's turbulent state of affairs

Johnson has h a turbulent two months in office, having suffered seven successive defeats in Commons -- in process losing his majority. He expelled 21 Conservative MPs when y backed a law requiring him to delay Brexit if he cant get a divorce deal with EU by mid-October. Johnson suspended parliament but Supreme Court ruled this unlawful. And when he called for an election before Brexit day, MPs blocked him. In a furr heache, a police watchdog is looking into wher he should face investigation over his links to a US businesswoman when he was London mayor. But Johnson responded with defiance to court ruling and has focused his ire on MPs, accusing m of "surrendering" to EU and trying to undermine 2016 referendum vote to leave. His rhetoric drew accusations of stoking division, but it appears to be winning over pro-Brexit voters. Conservatives have h a clear le over main opposition Labour party since Johnson took over. A YouGov survey this week put m 11 points ahe, while an Opinium poll on Sunday put this le at 12 points. "What he's trying to do is maximize support among Leave voters," Chris Curtis, a political research manr at YouGov, told AFP.
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Poll numbers matter

Poll numbers matter because, with parliament delocked, most commentators expect an election in next few months. But Johnson must overcome a key hurdle before n. law passed by MPs means he can only deliver Brexit on October 31 if he strikes a divorce agreement by an EU summit on October 17. But few in Brussels are optimistic and latest round of talks ended on Friday without a breakthrough. Constantine Fraser, an analyst on European politics at investment service TS Lombard, said Johnson's team were running out of options. "y hung ir credibility on an October 31 exit from EU and it's very difficult to see how y can deliver that," he told AFP. "So ir response is going to be to come out fighting, to dial up rhetoric and to dial up confrontation." t all Conservatives are enamoured by Johnson's approach, but many moderates will avoid conference. Former finance minister Philip Hammond who was expelled from Conservative ranks over Brexit law warned his party h become one of "ideological puritanism that brooks dissent". Most MPs fear that leaving EU with deal would be ecomically disastrous, but government insists it has stepped up preparations for such a scenario. Josh Hardie, deputy chief of influential CBI lobby group, warned Sunday that firms "cant be protected against worst effects".
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