Parliament will be prorogued at the close of business today, Downing Street has announced, as the Prime Minister continues his battle to push through Brexit on October 31.
Boris Johnson's official spokesman said that while the government would obey the law, Mr Johnson would not be requesting another extension of the Article 50 EU withdrawal process.
"The Prime Minister is not going to seek an extension," the spokesman said. "If MPs want to resolve this there is an easy way - vote for an election today and let the public decide."
Prorogation is the process when Parliament is suspended at the end of one session before the start of another, which begins with a new Queen's Speech.
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It is not the same as Parliament being dissolved, which happens before a General Election.
And it is not the same as Parliament being adjourned for a recess, which happens during holiday periods.
What it does mean is that there will be no parliamentary select committees sitting or scrutiny of the executive until October 14.
It is a perfectly legal move but it will represent the longest prorogation in modern history at the heart of the biggest political crisis since the Second World War.
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