- Title: Uproar as British PM Johnson cuts parliament time before Brexit
- Date: 28th August 2019
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - APRIL 3, 2019) (REUTERS) PARLIAMENT BUILDING LIFEBUOY OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT
- Embargoed: 11th September 2019 14:20
- Keywords: Brexit Nicola Sturgeon Anna Soubry Jonathan Bartley Boris Johnson cuts parliament time before Brexit Change UK Green Party Boris Johnson moved to limit parliament's opportunity to derail Brexit
- Location: EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND / NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND / LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- City: EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND / NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND / LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA003AU4VCCN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Scotland's first minister reacted with anger on Wednesday (August 28), after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved to cut parliament time before Brexit on October 31.
In his boldest move yet to take the country out of the European Union with or without a divorce deal, Johnson said he would set October 14 for the Queen's Speech - the formal state opening of a new session of parliament that is proceeded by a suspension of the House of Commons.
That would effectively shut parliament from mid-September for around a month. Raising the stakes in the constitutional crisis gripping Britain, it could also force Johnson's opponents to up their own game by calling a no-confidence vote in the government, potentially leading to an election.
Sturgeon said that, if the decision goes ahead, that it will mark a historic moment when "UK democracy died".
Leader of Change UK, Anna Soubry, and co-leader of the Green party, Jonathan Bartley, echoed Sturgeon's sentiment, calling the move "outrageous" and saying Johnson was acting like a dictator.
(Production: Hannah Ellison) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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