British MPs pledge to form an alternative parliament should Boris Johnson shut down the existing one

You've probably heard about the possibility of a second Brexit referendum, but have you heard about the possibility of a second Parliament?

A group of British MPs gathered symbolically at Church House — where parliament met during World War II — in Westminster on Tuesday where they pledged to form an alternative parliament should Prime Minister Boris Johnson shut down the government to push through a no-deal Brexit if an agreement is not reached by the Oct. 31 deadline.

They signed the Church House declaration, which said shutting down parliament would be "an undemocratic outrage at such a crucial moment for our country, and a historic constitutional crisis." Any attempt to force a no-deal Brexit would reportedly be met "by strong and widespread democratic resistance."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The assembled were compromised mainly of members from the British left and center, including the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party, and the Scottish National Party. The Guardian notes Conservative MPs were "conspicuous by their absence," but former Tory MP Anna Soubry was in attendance. "You all know who the people of courage are and those who have failed to exercise it," she said. "They will stop you in the corridors and say 'Of course this is absolute madness,' but they will not go and do the right thing, which is to be true to their principles."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was not at Church House, as he was meeting with other opposition leaders to discuss passing a law that would block a no-deal Brexit. Read more at The Guardian.