Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Queen approves Boris Johnson’s plan to suspend parliament, making a no-deal Brexit more likely

Queen approves Boris Johnson’s plan to suspend parliament, making a no-deal Brexit more likely

Sterling fell Wednesday morning after U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would schedule the formal reopening of parliament for October 14.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has scheduled the formal reopening of parliament for October 14 — a highly-controversial move that would restrict parliamentary time before the Brexit deadline and increase the chances of the U.K. leaving the EU with no deal.

After initial media reports, Johnson confirmed Wednesday morning that parliament would be suspended days after lawmakers return from their summer recess, and would come back for the Queen’s Speech outlining the government’s post-Brexit plans on October 14.

This speech marks the reopening of parliament and the October 14 date would mean that parliamentary business would be delayed, restricting time before the October 31 Brexit deadline. The U.K. queen approved Johnson’s plans later on Wednesday afternoon.

Opposition parties on Tuesday signaled their intent to unite in creating a law to block Johnson from forcing a no-deal Brexit. A U.K. withdrawal with no deal has faced widespread opposition in the House of Commons and is seen as potentially damaging to Britain’s economy, according to several projections.

Therefore, Johnson’s move Wednesday is seen as an attempt by the government to stifle the creation of this law and force through Brexit, one of the U.K. leader’s key promises upon taking power. However, Johnson said Wednesday that lawmakers will still have ample time to debate Brexit and it was untrue that he was trying to sideline parliament on the issue.

The pound fell by 1% to below the $1.22 mark on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. London time, but slightly pared losses to trade 0.6% down at $1.2211 by late morning.

Extended recess

Parliament returns next week and will sit until September 9, at which point MPs (Members of Parliament) would typically go on recess for three weeks during a season of political party conferences. Johnson’s move effectively extends the recess, through declaring a queen’s speech, to five weeks.

A queen’s speech, a norm when a new government takes power in Britain, also requires five days of debate afterwards. This makes it harder for MPs to use legislation as there would not be any room on the parliamentary schedule until this is completed.

Johnson is seeking to strike a renewed agreement with Brussels before the deadline, but the two sides have clashed over the Irish “backstop” issue, intended to maintain a seamless border on the island of Ireland.

Widespread disapproval

Opposing party leaders and MPs have voiced widespread disapproval with the move.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour party, said in a statement: “I am appalled at the recklessness of Johnson’s government, which talks about sovereignty and yet is seeking to suspend parliament to avoid scrutiny of its plans for a reckless No Deal Brexit. This is an outrage and a threat to our democracy.”

Corbyn added that if Johnson has confidence in his plans, he should “put them to the people in a general election or public vote.”

Scottish National Party leader and First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon urged colleagues to try to thwart Johnson.



 Tom Brake, Brexit spokesperson for the pro-EU Liberal Democrat party, called it a “declaration of war.”



 Jordan Rochester, an FX strategist at Nomura, said in a note that while the suspension is not “as bad” as proroguing parliament completely, it has reduced the time MPs thought they had in October to block a no-deal exit.

“For GBP to recover the fall this morning rebel anti-no deal MPs will have to get their acts together in the first weeks of September. No more delaying,” the note added.

Rochester added that the fall in GBP is unlikely to extend into a new trend as “parliament is not completely prorogued just has to bring forward their plans to stop a no deal to next week,” and said the market is already betting heavily against the currency.

Chris Whitehouse, chairman and managing director of political communications firm Whitehouse Consulting, told CNBC via phone Wednesday that opposing politicians were “posturing,” adding that scheduling a queen’s speech was routine for a new government.

Boris Johnson had no control whatsoever over the timing of Theresa May’s resignation and the election of himself as the Conservative party leader, and the decision of Her Majesty to ask him to form a government,” he said.

“It is, however, incumbent upon him to set out Her Majesty’s government’s plans for his term as Prime Minister, and to do so as promptly as reasonably possible after taking that position, and that is precisely what he is doing — no more, no less.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×