Europe

U.K. Government To Prorogue Parliament For 6 Days

Originally, Johnson set Parliament to prorogue for more than a month, but that was ruled unlawful.

U.K. Government To Prorogue Parliament For 6 Days
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Article by LeeAnne Lowry
SMS
October 3, 2019

The U.K. government says it intends to suspend Parliament again. The announcement comes just two weeks after the U.K.'s top court decided Prime Minister Boris Johnson broke the law when he decided to suspend Parliament last month.

It isn't abnormal for a new prime minister to suspend Parliament to reset its agenda. It's called proroguing, and it marks the formal end of a Parliamentary session.

Originally, Johnson set Parliament to prorogue for more than a month. That's much longer than the typical suspension. Critics say Johnson had an ulterior motive — to silence lawmakers who disagree with his "do or die" Brexit plan ahead of the Oct. 31 deadline.

This time around, Johnson says he's trying to make the break as short as possible. In a statement, the Prime Minister's office said the government intends to end the current session on Oct. 8. Parliament will reconvene Oct. 14, when the queen gives a speech that marks the start of a new session.

The suspension plan now heads to the queen for approval.

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.