Prime Minister Boris Johnson is getting tough with members of his Conservative Party who oppose his Brexit plans at the start of what promises to be a momentous week in British politics. The so-called “rebels” are being warned September 2 that they will be expelled from the party if they take part in efforts led by opposition parties in Parliament meant to block a departure from the European Union without a deal. Conservative former justice secretary David Gauke accused Johnson of “goading” fellow party members to vote against the government so that they can be ousted in favor of lawmakers who support the prime minister’s more extreme version of Brexit.

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Opposition's challenge to Johnson's Policy

“It’s obviously a particularly confrontational approach and, I think, designed, frankly, to realign the Conservative Party, to transform the Conservative Party very much in the direction of a Brexit party,” Gauke told the BBC. Opposition parties are pledging to challenge Johnson’s policy that the U.K. will leave the EU on Oct. 31 even if there is no deal. Without such a deal, Britain faces a chaotic departure that economists warn would disrupt trade by imposing tariffs and customs checks between Britain and the 27 other members of the bloc — potentially triggering a drop in the pound and plunging the U.K. into recession.

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Negotiations with the EU

Johnson insists the potential for a no-deal Brexit must remain an option in negotiations with the EU. The EU is adamant it will not renegotiate the agreement struck with former Prime Minister Theresa May on the terms of Britain’s departure and the framework of future relations. The deal was defeated in Britain’s parliament three times, largely because of opposition to clauses related to keeping open the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

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