Johnson asks Queen to suspend UK Parliament ahead of Brexit deadline

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday asked the queen to suspend Parliament, triggering backlash from opposition who will now have less time to block a no-deal exit from the European Union.

Johnson asked Queen Elizabeth II to give her yearly speech outlining the administrative agenda on Oct. 14, effectively suspending the legislative body from Sept. 11 through that date.

{mosads}An Oct. 14 resumption of Parliament would allow legislators just 17 days before the Oct. 31 deadline that Johnson has set for a “no-deal” Brexit.

The decision to suspend while many members of the body are on vacation elicited significant backlash.

“Shutting down Parliament would be an offense against the democratic process and the rights of Parliamentarians as the people’s elected representatives,” said John Bercow, Speaker of the Lower House of Commons, according to The Associated Press.

“Surely at this early stage in his premiership, the prime minister should be seeking to establish rather than undermine his democratic credentials and indeed his commitment to Parliamentary democracy.”

The move also comes one day after opposition lawmakers pledged to block an exit from the EU without an agreement.

Roughly 160 lawmakers have signed a declaration pledging “to do whatever is necessary” to prevent Johnson from bypassing Parliament, per AP.