UK's Johnson is gambling his future on suspending Parliament

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is gambling his future on the audacious proposition that he can blunt an effort to halt his Brexit plan by simply suspending "the mother of all parliaments" for key weeks ahead of the October 31 departure date.

If Parliament isn't in session, it can't conduct official business and won't be able to take concerted action to prevent him from pushing through a "no-deal" Brexit that would abruptly sever ties between Britain and the European Union if he is unable to reach a new deal by that date.

Johnson knew full well that asking Queen Elizabeth II to suspend Parliament would provoke howls that he is masterminding an anti-democratic coup.

But if he is able to make good on his frequent vow to leave the EU on October 31, Johnson stands to be remembered as the leader who made the results of the 2016 Brexit referendum a reality.

"If it works, many will say that it was a brilliant piece of political theater and leadership," said Anthony Seldon, a historian at the University of Buckingham. "And if it doesn't, it will quite possibly spell the end of his premiership."
"With just 63 days until the 31 October deadline, an unelected prime minister has made himself unaccountable to MPs for five weeks," it said. "Not only does Boris Johnson want to deny voters the Final Say, he is now silencing their representatives."