02:35UK: Johnson asks Queen to suspend parliament for 5 weeks
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked the Queen for permission to suspend parliament for five weeks and set out his reasons for doing so from London, on Wednesday.
According to Johnson the purpose of the suspension is to allow for a new legislative progamme to be set out in a new Queen's speech, but the record breaking length of the prorogation has sparked criticism from opponents who say that it's a gambit intended to limit scrutiny of his Brexit plans.
The five week break would sharply curtail the opportunities for Members of Parliament to draft anti-no deal and anti-Brexit legislation with parliamentarians expected to sit for only a little over a week from September 3rd, and expected not to return until October 14 for the Queen's speech.
The move by Johnson was condemned as a "constitutional outrage" by the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said that his party will put forward legislation to prevent parliament being suspended.
02:35mandatory credit: itn
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked the Queen for permission to suspend parliament for five weeks and set out his reasons for doing so from London, on Wednesday.
According to Johnson the purpose of the suspension is to allow for a new legislative progamme to be set out in a new Queen's speech, but the record breaking length of the prorogation has sparked criticism from opponents who say that it's a gambit intended to limit scrutiny of his Brexit plans.
The five week break would sharply curtail the opportunities for Members of Parliament to draft anti-no deal and anti-Brexit legislation with parliamentarians expected to sit for only a little over a week from September 3rd, and expected not to return until October 14 for the Queen's speech.
The move by Johnson was condemned as a "constitutional outrage" by the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said that his party will put forward legislation to prevent parliament being suspended.