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After a previous attempt was ruled unlawful by the British Supreme Court British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains unfazed . And according to a report by AFP , Johnson now intends to ask for parliament to be suspended from October 8 to 14, his Downing Street office said .
“These timings would mean parliament is prorogued for the shortest time possible to enable all the necessary logistical preparations” for Queen Elizabeth II to outline the government’s new legislative programme, it said in a statement.
Johnson previously advised the monarch to suspend, or prorogue, parliament from September 10 to October 14.
Pro-European lawmakers were outraged and saw the move as an attempt to stifle democratic debate on Britain’s pending departure from the European Union on October 31.
Following legal challenges in England and Scotland, the Supreme Court judged Johnson’s advice to the monarch was unlawful, and deemed the lengthy prorogation frustrated parliament’s constitutional functions. Britain’s highest court quashed the prorogation, and parliament resumed on September 25.
In a nation without a written constitution, the case marked a rare confrontation between the prime minister, the courts and Parliament over their rights and responsibilities. It revolved around whether Johnson had acted lawfully when he advised the Queen to suspend Parliament for five weeks during a crucial time frame before the October 31 Brexit deadline when Britain is scheduled to leave the European Union.
It may be recalled that in September 24,2019 delivering the unanimous verdict of 11 judges, Supreme Court President Brenda Hale said: “The decision to advise Her Majesty (Queen Elizabeth II) to prorogue was unlawful”. She said this was “because it had the effect of frustrating or preventing the ability of parliament to carry out its constitutional functions”. As a result, the suspension was “void and of no effect”, Hale said, adding: “Parliament has not been prorogued.”
