Boris Johnson has claimed he is not suspending parliament because of Brexit – and said he is not sidelining MPs and peers on the matter.
In a video interview, Johnson confirmed that a Queen’s Speech will take place on October 14th, meaning parliament is likely to be suspended for more than a month until it takes place.
But the prime minister said there would be “ample time” for MPs and peers to debate his Brexit plans ahead of the next EU council meeting on the 17th and 18th October.
He said it is “completely untrue” he was trying to suspend parliament because of Brexit, insisting that he had a new government with an “exciting agenda” that requires new legislation.
“If you look at what we’re doing, we’re bringing forward a new legislative programme on crime, on hospitals, and making sure that we have the education funding that we need,” he added.
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Asked whether he is planning a general election before the end of the year, Johnson said: “No. What you should take from this is we’re doing exactly what I said on the steps of Downing Street, which is that we must get on now with our legislative domestic agenda.
“People will expect… I need to… we need to get on with the stuff that parliament needs to approve on tackling crime, on building the infrastructure we need, on technology, on levelling up our education, and reducing the cost of living.
“That is why we need a Queen’s Speech, and we’re going to get on with it.”
In a furious rebuke of the prime minister, Commons speaker John Bercow said he was creating a “constitutional outrage”.
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