During the Prime Minister Questions (PMQ) session, Boris Johnson switched to swearing as he derided the Labour Party’s economic plans as being "sh*t" and "bust", slightly rephrasing a statement made by Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner in 2018 regarding suggested plans to increase government spending.
"The shadow education secretary says that their economic policy is like 'shit or bust'. I say it's both. What this country needs is sensible, moderate, progressive, conservative government and to take this country out of the EU on 31 October and that what we are going to deliver", Johnson said.
Johnson further called Corbyn the only "chlorinated chicken" in the Parliament, mocking the latter's concerns regarding Brexit and namely the trade deal with the US, a major global exporter of poultry across the world. The prime minister insisted that the efforts, taken by Corbyn's party and a number of Tory defectors, to prevent a no-deal Brexit was a "surrender" to the EU in Brexit talks.
Boris Johnson also lambasted plans by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to impose hefty taxes and his calls for a general strike against the government’s policy.
The s-word, used by Johnson, is a rarity in the British Parliament, being used only several dozen times throughout history. It has only been used 13 times over the past 10 years, according to the legislative body's official records.
The prime minister suffered a major defeat on 3 September after the Labour Party, supported by 21 Tory defectors, managed to pass a bill that opened the path for Parliament to adopt a bill, preventing Johnson from delivering Brexit by the 31 October deadline if he fails to reach new deal with the EU. In response, the prime minister called for an early election with a vote on the matter scheduled to take place on 4 September.
Johnson's stand-off with Parliament started after he ordered its prorogation, set to start on 10 September and end on 14 October, thus leaving it with a tight window to counter a possible no-deal Brexit. The latter remains a possibility since the prime minister vowed to deliver Brexit on 31 October at any cost, while the EU has so far refused to renegotiate the deal negotiated by Johnson's predecessor – Theresa May.
The biggest issue with the deal is the so-called backstop clause that was designed to prevent the establishment of a hard border in Ireland after Brexit by temporarily tying Northern Ireland's regulations to those of the EU’s single market. The majority of Brexiteers find this clause unacceptable since it could essentially force the UK to stay in the single market zone indefinitely.