Plan to prorogue parliament increases fears of no-deal Brexit

The UK government’s decision to prorogue parliament has sparked a wave of panic in universities and research about the impact of a no-deal Brexit.

On 28 August, Downing Street announced that prime minister Boris Johnson had asked the Queen to end the current parliamentary session in the second sitting week of September. This would trigger a Queen’s speech on 14 October setting out the government’s agenda, which parliament would vote on from 21 October, Downing Street said. 

The bold move has renewed fears in the research world of the UK crashing out of the European Union without a deal, as MPs who want to stop a no-deal Brexit will now have little time to do so before the deadline on 31 October.