The UK parliament was officially prorogued with a formal ceremony in the House of Lords later on Tuesday, but only after the UK House of Commons Speaker John Bercow expressed his displeasure, saying many regard this move as "an act of executive fiat".
"This is not […] a normal prorogation. It is not typical, it is not standard, it is one of the longest for decades", Bercow said. Opposition lawmakers held signs saying "silenced".
Johnson earlier asked the Queen to temporarily suspend Parliament for a period of five weeks. The intention of the move was thought to stop those lawmakers who seek to prevent a no-deal Brexit.
The opposition accuses Johnson of trying to stop UK lawmakers from examining his Brexit plan.
Currently, the situation around Brexit has reached a dead end. The country’s parliament is opposed to the agreement with the European Union in its current form, but it is also categorically opposed to a no-deal Brexit. The European Union refuses to resume negotiations and revise the agreement, while Johnson insists that the United Kingdom will leave the European Union as scheduled, on 31 October, with or without a deal.
Since the beginning of his tenure, Johnson promised that the United Kingdom would withdraw from the bloc with or without a deal. The prime minister insisted that the backstop plan would be excluded from the previously agreed London-Brussels deal. EU leaders, however, oppose reviewing the agreement. Johnson, in response, announced preparations for a no-deal Brexit, although suggesting that he would try to negotiate a new deal with the European Union.
British lawmakers will return on 14 October, little more than two weeks before the United Kingdom is due to leave the European Union on 31 October.