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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Jessica Sansome

Prime Minister Boris Johnson to prorogue parliament again

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has requested that parliament is prorogued again next week.

If his request is accepted it will be the second time Parliament has been suspended in the space of a month.

It comes after the last prorogation at the beginning of September was later deemed unlawful by the Supreme Court.

Prorogation is the process when Parliament is 'shutdown' at the end of one session before the start of another, which begins with a new Queen's Speech.

Therefore, Mr Johnson intends to request that the current session of Parliament be prorogued from the evening of Tuesday October 8, with a Queen's Speech on Monday October 14.

In a statement announcing the prorogation, the Prime Minister said: "I want to deliver on the people's priorities.

The PM has been at the Conservative Party Conference at the Manchester Convention Centre this week (Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

"Through a Queen's Speech, the government will set out its plans for the NHS, schools, tackling crime, investing in infrastructure and building a strong economy.

"We will get Brexit."

The statement released by Downing Street says that Mr Johnson "has been consistently clear that he wants to set out a fresh legislative programme in a Queen's Speech" and that the Government will "seek to strengthen public services, improve infrastructure and connectivity across the country, tackle crime and enhance the integrity of the criminal justice system, while protecting our natural environment for the long-term."

It continues: "The Prime Minister has today set out a fair and reasonable compromise for replacing the backstop and securing the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union with a deal.

Mr Johnson's last prorogation was deemed unlawful (House of Commons/PA Wire)

"If a deal can be agreed at European Council, a central feature of the legislative programme will be to introduce a Withdrawal Agreement Bill and move at pace to secure its passage before 31 October.

"These timings would mean Parliament is prorogued for the shortest time possible to enable all the necessary logistical preparations for a State Opening to be undertaken, including those done by the House Authorities."

Last month eleven justices of the UK's highest court announced the unanimous judgement that his previous decision to suspend parliament was unlawful.

He advised the Queen on August 28 to prorogue Parliament for five weeks from September 9, which the prime minister’s opponents described as an "exceptionally long" period.

If his request is accepted, Parliament will be 'shutdown' for one week (House of Commons/PA Wire)

During prorogation, although MPs keep their seats, no debates in Parliament are carried out, therefore no laws passed.

Any bills waiting to be hear will be taken over into the next session.

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