UK: Queen agrees request to suspend parliament

ANKARA

Queen Elizabeth II agreed on Wednesday upon British government's request to suspend the parliament from Sept. 9 until Oct. 14.

The approval of the request was announced by a statement of Queen's Privy Council.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had asked Queen to suspend the parliament earlier on Wednesday, just weeks before the Brexit deadline.

By the suspension of the parliament, the lawmakers will have a rather limited time to pass a legislation that will prevent a Brexit without a deal.

Johnson's move sparked a harsh reaction from the British opposition.

Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Labour Party, called the move as an "outrage".

"Boris Johnson’s attempt to suspend parliament to avoid scrutiny of his plans for a reckless No Deal Brexit is an outrage and a threat to our democracy," he said on Twitter.

Corbyn added that the Labour Party will work in the parliament to "hold the government to account" and avoid a "disastrous" no-deal Brexit.

Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow described the move a "constitutional outrage".

"At this time, one of the most challenging periods of our nation's history, it is vital that our elected Parliament has its say. Shutting down parliament would be an offense against the democratic process," Bercow said in a written statement.

Clive Lewis, a Labour lawmaker, also reacted on Twitter and said they will call for street protests.

"If Boris shuts down Parliament to carry out his No-Deal Brexit, I and other MPs will defend democracy. The police will have to remove us from the chamber. We will call on people to take to the streets," Lewis said.

Lewis added that they will also call for an extraordinary session of the parliament.

The opposition parties continue negotiations to pass a legislation in the parliament to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

Johnson stated that he would take the U.K. out of the EU by Oct. 31 and that although he is confident in negotiating a deal with Brussels, he was also making preparations for a no-deal Brexit.

Britain's Parliament repeatedly rejected the Brexit deal concluded by previous Prime Minister Theresa May.