The Queen has consented to Boris Johnson’s request to suspend Parliament from the middle of September, in a move which could hamper efforts to block a no deal Brexit.
Mr Johnson said a Queen’s speech would take after the suspension on October 14 – a process known as prorogation.
However, the suspension will come only a few days after MPs return to work from their summer break on September 3, and will give them limited time to pass any new laws that could prevent the prime minister taking the UK out of the EU without a deal on October 31.
MPs have slammed the reports as "undemocratic" and a "dark" day for UK democracy, and the pound tumbled over fears the UK is headed for a no deal Brexit.
But others have argued this is standard practice for a new government and Mr Johnson has insisted that he wants to hold the Queen's Speech to set out a new government agenda and that it has nothing to do with Brexit.
Here's everything you need to know:
What does a suspended parliament mean?
Suspending parliament usually happens for a short time before a new session starts. Also known as prorogation, it simply means the end of a current parliamentary session.
The Queen prorogues parliament on the advice of the Privy Council, and usually a statement will be read out in the House of Lords on her behalf.
After this short ceremony, neither the House of Commons or House of Lords will meet again until the State Opening of Parliament.
During the suspension, all parliamentary business is ended. This means no debates or votes are held, and new laws can't be passed or new motions or questions tabled.
Bills and motions that have not completed their journey through Parliament will not progress further.
However bills may be carried over to the next session.
This process is different to dissolving parliament, which happens during a general election and requires MPs to give up their seats to campaign.
What is prorogation?
Prorogation is standard practice in the parliamentary calendar, and usually happens for a short time once a year in the spring before the formal start of a new parliamentary session.
Once parliament is suspended, MPs can only get back to work once the Queen's Speech has been read out at the State Opening of Parliament, which sets out the government's plans and policies for the upcoming session.
While parliamentary sessions tend to last one year, the current once has been running since the general election in June 2017 - the longest in history.
New governments will look to hold a Queen's Speech after winning a general election, again to outline their plans ahead of the new session. Mr Johnson insists he has asked the Queen to bring about the end of the current session of Parliament so he can start anew.
Is there precedent for this?
According to the BBC, the last two times that parliamentary suspensions happened when it was not after a general election, they lasted for four and 13 days.
Theresa May's former legislative advisor wrote in the Daily Telegraph that, in 1948, a special short parliamentary session of 10 days was introduced to speed up the passage of the 1949 Parliament Act.
Suspension also happened in 1628 under Charles 1, who ruled the country as an executive monarch before Oliver Cromwell did the same, and it also happened during the Great Reform Crisis in 1831 and under John Major in 1997.
What does this mean for Brexit?
The timing of the suspension has caused controversy, as it will see Parliament closed for 23 working days until just a fortnight before the final Brexit deadline.
Since no parliamentary business can take place during suspension, it will limit the amount of time MPs have to debate any Brexit deal.
While MPs can approve dates, they can't block prorogation.
But the move has been slammed by MPs from across the political spectrum, with Commons Speaker John Bercow calling it a "constitutional outrage" and former chancellor Philip Hammond describing it as "profoundly undemocratic".
