I’m hearing people say “he’s only proroguing for a few days, it’s not a big deal”. No, it is a big deal, and this is why.
Johnson is not just “slightly extending the recess for conference”, as I have heard many of his supporters disingenuously say.
First, it was likely that Parliament would have voted not to go to conference at this important time. Now they will lose the option to do that, and five weeks will be lost.
But more importantly, proroguing is the end of the parliamentary session; it is not a recess. All bills in progress will be cut off. Parliamentary business cannot simply pick up when Parliament reconvenes, unlike when the MPs break for conference. Even if Johnson only prorogued for one day, it would put a spanner in the works.
Continue reading It’s not that common, it doesn’t happen to every parliamentary democracy, and it is a big deal