Queen Elizabeth has approved the suspension of the UK Parliament from mid-September giving a short period of time for lawmakers to block a no-deal Brexit.
Opposition politicians and even some members of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s own party denounced it as potentially unconstitutional and undemocratic, as per a report from CNN.
John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, said the move is a “constitutional outrage” while Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn called it a “smash and grab” of British democracy.
The suspension would mean the Members of Parliament (MPs), where a majority oppose no-deal, will only have a few days before and after to pass any legislation preventing a hard break with the European Union (EU).
Johnson said in a televised interview that the move wasn’t made to prevent them from limiting his Brexit plans. Rather, it was “bringing forward a new legislative program”.
Johnson has promised that the UK will leave the EU on October 31, when Brexit is due to happen, with or without a deal.
The suspension will end on October 14, just in time for the MP to return after Queen’s Speech. There the monarch lays out the government’s agenda in the House of Lords.
