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If you’ve lost track of Brexit’s seemingly endless “cliff edges”, now is the time to pay attention as three years of argument appears set to come to a head.
What is happening in Britain?
The government, led by prime minister and arch-Brexiter Boris Johnson, has been granted permission by Queen Elizabeth to suspend – or prorogue – the UK Parliament for a crucial five-week period before October 31, when Britain is due to leave the European Union. The official reason is that Johnson is calling a Queen’s Speech for October 14, to set out his domestic programme . But the move leaves much less time for Parliament and MPs to stop a no-deal Brexit.
Doesn’t the queen usually stay out of politics?
Yes. And while she could technically have said no to the request, she is politically neutral, so refusing it could have caused an even bigger crisis.

Is Johnson doing anything unusual?
On the surface, no.
Typically, a Queen’s Speech is held every year. Johnson is a new prime minister, who took over from Theresa May in July, and so would be expected to have his own legislative priorities.
Because of the volume of legislation that was anticipated ahead of Brexit, the current parliamentary session has lasted more than two years. The last Queen’s Speech was in 2017.
The government says a new programme is overdue.
Parliament is normally suspended for a few days ahead of a Queen’s Speech. In recent years this suspension has lasted for between five and 20 days.
Why are some people so angry about it?
Because of the timing.
Britain is weeks away from making its most important strategic decision in decades over how, and even whether, it leaves the EU.
The decision to hold the Queen’s Speech on October 14 shaves several days off an already small number of parliamentary sittings before October 31 – the Brexit deadline.
Johnson says he wants to leave the EU with an exit deal to smooth the transition, but if he can’t get one, he’ll leave anyway.
A narrow majority of lawmakers have shown they do not want a no-deal exit and are hoping to use parliamentary procedures to stop Johnson and force him to request extra time from the EU.

Can the proroguing be reversed?
Proroguing parliament is not voted on by MPs so cannot be stopped in this way. The Conservative MP (and former attorney general) Dominic Grieve said he and others were working on a plan to organise a “humble address”, which is a direct call from the Commons to the queen.
“I don’t think parliament can stop prorogation, although there may be something that parliament can do to register its deep concern,” he said.
A humble address is binding and can be used by the opposition to express its strength of feeling to the government or request that it hand over documents. It has rarely been deployed in the past 200 years but Labour successfully used it in 2017 to make a direct appeal to the queen that the government make public its economic impact assessments of Brexit.
In the meantime a public petition against parliament’s suspension had gathered more than a million signatures.
It is the fastest-growing parliamentary petition since more than 6 million people signed a statement calling for article 50 – the mechanism for leaving the EU – to be revoked earlier this year.

What happens now?
Parliament returns from its summer break on September 3 and sits for at least a week.
The government has said it will begin procedures to start the suspension on September 9. The last sitting day before the Queen’s Speech is expected to be shortly after that, but has not yet been confirmed.
This gives those opposed to a no-deal Brexit just a few days to get their plans in motion.
On October 14 the queen will formally reopen Parliament and deliver the speech. This will be followed by a debate lasting several days on the contents of the speech and culminating in votes on October 21 and October 22.
Winning these votes will be a crucial test of Johnson’s ability to govern.
However, if he loses and his government is subsequently toppled by a vote of no confidence, he would have scope to delay his resignation and a new election until after October 31.
Between the speech being delivered and the votes upon it, Johnson will travel to Brussels in search of a last-minute, renegotiated exit deal. The summit takes place on October 17-18.
The Guardian and Reuters


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Brexit

What is prorogation? A simple guide to what is happening in UK politics

Anti-Brexit supporters take part in a protest in front of the Houses of Parliament in central London. Photo: AP

epa07798938 (FILE) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson waves as he enters 10 Downing Street following his appointment by the Queen in London, Britain, 24 July 2019 (re-issued 28 August 2019). According to reports, British government has formally requested the intervention of the Queen in a bid to suspend parliament. A government source said the government's intention is to suspend parliament and hold a Queen's speech 14 October, setting out the future plans of a post-Brexit government. EPA-EFE/NEIL HALL

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II delivers the Queen's Speech during the State Opening of Parliament in the Houses of Parliament in London on June 21, 2017. Queen Elizabeth II will formally open parliament and announce the British government's legislative programme on Wednesday, two days later than planned. The state opening, a ceremony full of pomp in which the monarch reads out the Queen's Speech detailing the government's programme for the coming year, was due to take place on June 19, but was delayed after Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative party lost their majority in the House of Commons in the June 8 election. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Carl Court

The Palace of Westminster, housing the Houses of Parliament, is pictured from Westminster Bridge with a Union flag in the foreground, in central London on August 28, 2019. - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Wednesday that the suspension of parliament would be extended until October 14 -- just two weeks before the UK is set to leave the EU -- enraging anti-Brexit MPs. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP)

Is UK democracy dead? Boris Johnson’s Brexit gambit sparks ‘constitutional outrage’

A man in a giant Boris Johnson ‘head’ digs a grave at the foot of a pretend tombstone outside Downing Street in London. Photo: AP

Anti-Brexit supporters take part in a protest near the Houses of Parliament in central London, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday to suspend Parliament, throwing down the gauntlet to his critics and causing outrage among opposition leaders who will have even less time to thwart a no-deal Brexit. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

This handout image provided by the Privy Council shows a notification that the Queen has approved an order to prorogue Parliament, on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has approved the UK government's request to suspend Parliament amid a growing crisis over Brexit. The move was not unexpected, as the monarch has steadfastly refused to get involved in politics throughout her long reign. Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to the queen on Wednesday to request an end to the current Parliament session in September. (Privy Council via AP)

(FILES) In this file photo taken on August 25, 2019 US President Donald Trump (R) and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speak before a working breakfast at the G7 Summit in Biarritz, France, on the second day of the annual G7 Summit attended by the leaders of the world's seven richest democracies, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. - President Donald Trump on August 28, 2019 praised "great" British Prime Minister Boris Johnson after his controversial move to suspend parliament. Trump said the suspension -- which critics call a deliberate attempt to stymie democratic opposition to Brexit -- will make it "very hard" for Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn to seek a no-confidence vote against Johnson."Especially in light of the fact that Boris is exactly what the U.K. has been looking for, & will prove to be 'a great one!' Love U.K.," Trump tweeted. (Photo by Erin Schaff / POOL / AFP)

Anti-Brexit supporters gather outside the Prime Minister's residence 10 Downing Street in London, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday to suspend Parliament, throwing down the gauntlet to his critics and causing outrage among opposition leaders who will have even less time to thwart a no-deal Brexit. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

‘Bags of time’ left to renegotiate Brexit with EU, claims Britain’s Boris Johnson with less than two months to go

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson wore a hard hat on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

epa07759042 A pro-EU campaigner stands outside the Cabinet Office in London, Britain, 06 August 2019. The UK government is demanding a new agreement with the EU as the EU plans for no deal. EPA-EFE/ANDY RAIN

(190725) -- LONDON, July 25, 2019 (Xinhua) -- Britain's Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn (L, front) attends a rally at the Parliament Square, calling for a general election, in London, Britain, on July 25, 2019. (Photo by Alberto Pezzali/Xinhua)

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If the past few years of Brexit debate have passed you by, here is what you need to know



If you’ve lost track of Brexit’s seemingly endless ‘cliff edges’, now is the time to pay attention as three years of argument appears set to come to a head.
