Boris Johnson to Suspend Parliament to Outline New Program

(Bloomberg) --

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will suspend Parliament on Oct. 8 so that he can outline a new legislative program, two weeks after the country’s highest court ruled that his previous attempt to stop parliament sitting was unlawful.

But unlike that suspension, this one will only last six days, before Parliament returns Oct. 14 for 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,” Johnson said in an emailed statement. “We will get Brexit done on Oct. 31 and continue delivering on these vital issues.”

Members of Parliament who want to tie Johnson’s hands further on Brexit now have just three sitting days in order to do so before the suspension begins. Rebel Conservatives and opposition parties already teamed up last month to pass a law against the government’s wishes compelling Johnson to seek to delay the divorce if he’s unable to secure a deal acceptable to both the EU and Parliament by Oct. 19.

The announcement comes just over a week after the Supreme Court declared Johnson’s previous suspension -- which was supposed to last 5 weeks -- “unlawful,” saying that “no justification for taking action with such an extreme effect” had been given to the court. A four- to six-day suspension is the norm before a Queen’s speech, the court ruled.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Robert Hutton

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