This archive report was first published on 9 September 2019.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit strategy is facing increasing opposition in Westminster and Brussels, with the House of Commons speaker promising to resign within weeks.
Parliament will be suspended for five weeks immediately after the vote, leaving Johnson to attempt to salvage his hardline Brexit strategy.
Johnson's decision to prorogue parliament until October 14 has provoked uproar from opposition MPs and Conservative critics, who have labelled the move a constitutional outrage.
"Parliament will be prorogued at close of business today," Johnson's spokesman said at a daily briefing, using the parliamentary term for the suspension.
Johnson met with his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar in Dublin before returning to the parliamentary turmoil later Monday to kick off the debate over holding an election.
Johnson has vowed to take Britain out of the EU by the October 31 deadline with or without a formal divorce deal -- despite warnings that the latter scenario would entail economic chaos.
