Britain's Boris Johnson asks queen to suspend Parliament amid efforts to stop no-deal Brexit


British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday to suspend Parliament until mid-October, leaving lawmakers little time to try to block Britain from crashing out of the European Union on Oct. 31 without a divorce settlement. Johnson asked the queen to end the current session of Parliament in preparation for a Queen's Speech, typically a formality to lay out a government's legislative agenda. BBC royal correspondent Jonny Dymond said it would be "impossible" for the queen to refuse the request, and unlike dissolving Parliament to hold new elections, members of Parliament don't get a vote on prorogation.
Parliament was scheduled to return from summer recess next week, and opposition lawmakers have reportedly been working on a plan to prevent a no-deal Brexit, a move Johnson seems increasingly likely to pursue. Johnson said he will give the Queen's Speech on Oct. 14, and in the meantime, lawmakers won't be able to bring forward or debate new legislation. Johnson said there will be "ample time" to MPs to debate Brexit after his speech, adding: "As always my door is open to all colleagues should you wish to discuss this or any other matter."
The reaction to Johnson's move was mostly negative. Labour Party deputy leader Tom Watson called it an "utterly scandalous affront to our democracy," Liberal Democrats leader Jo Swinson called it a "dangerous and unacceptable course of action" and "an act of cowardice from Boris Johnson," and Tory MP Dominic Grieve, a former attorney general, called it "an outrageous act" that will bring down Johnson's government. "If the prime minister persists with this and doesn't back off, then I think the chances are that his administration will collapse," Grieve added. "I will certainly vote to bring down a Conservative government that persists in a course of action which is so unconstitutional."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
Conservative Party Chairman James Cleverly shrugged, saying prorogation is what "all new governments do."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
A tall ship adventure in the Mediterranean
The Week Recommends Sailing aboard this schooner and exploring Portugal, Spain and Monaco is a 'magical' experience
-
How drone warfare works
The Explainer From Ukraine to Iran, it has become clear that unmanned aircraft are rapidly revolutionising modern warfare
-
The tourist flood in the Mediterranean: can it be stemmed?
Talking Point Finger-pointing at Airbnb or hotel owners obscures the root cause of overtourism in holiday hotspots: unmanageable demand
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders
-
Mamdani upsets Cuomo in NYC mayoral primary
Speed Read Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani beat out Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary
-
Supreme Court clears third-country deportations
Speed Read The court allowed Trump to temporarily resume deporting migrants to countries they aren't from