Boris Johnson news – live: PM loses second attempt to trigger early general election
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Your support makes all the difference.No 10 has announced that a five-week suspension parliament will begin tonight, as Boris Johnson’s flies back from his first official meeting with Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar in Dublin.
It comes as the prime minister sets up a possible Brexit showdown in the Supreme Court after it emerged No 10 is ready to launch a legal fight against the anti-no deal legislation.
Mr Johnson is also reportedly ready to send a second letter to the EU – alongside the request for a three-month delay required of him – explaining he does not actually want any delay after 31 October. Labour figures branded the plan “illegal” and “monumentally ridiculous”.
Parliament is about to be prorogued, with a ceremony in the House of Lords.
Black Rod has entered the Commons to invite MPs to the Lords.
However, a group one the opposition benches are holding up signs reading “silenced”.
The Speaker, John Bercow, says he will respect Black Rod, but insists this is not a “normal prorogation.
He says: “It is not typical it is not standard it is one of the longest for decades and it represents an active executive fiat.”
Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyleappeared to try to hold on to Speaker John Bercow at the point he was requested to lead MPs to the Lords, with doorkeepers intervening.
Shouts of "shame on you" could be heard as Government MPs left the Commons to head to the House of Lords for the prorogation ceremony.
A large section of the Lords appear to have boycotted the prorogation ceremony.
And these were the signs held up by opposition MPs in the Commons when Black Rod arrived to begin the prorogation ceremony earlier.
Parliament is prorogued
The government has suspended parliament until 14 of October, little more than two weeks before 31 October Brexit deadline.
Bizarre situation in the Commons as The Speaker returns to end the formalities. After boycotting the ceremony in the Lords, opposition MPs are faced with just a handful of Conservatives on the benches opposite, as it appeared the Tories were staging a boycott of their own.
More on the protests that took place in the Commons during prorogation - SNP MPs began singing 'Scots Wha Hae' - considered by the party to be the alternative national anthem - on the Commons benches.
Labour MPs also sang the Red Flag before SNP MP Gavin Newlands jokingly appealed to Conservative MPs to sing - with no response.
A sing-off followed with Labour MPs singing Jerusalem while the SNP sang Flower of Scotland.
That's it from parliament for the night - and in fact for the next month. MPs will reconvene in Westminster on Monday 14 October.
That's also the end of The Independent's live coverage of the day, thanks for joining us and be sure to check back later on Tuesday morning for more live Brexit updates.
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