Shut Down Parliament! Boris Johnson and the Prorogation Crisis

Abstract

Abstract This chapter covers the Conservative leadership contest, which resulted in the rise to the premiership of Boris Johnson. It acknowledges the fragility of the government’s position in parliament following Theresa May’s resignation. Parliamentarians sought to take action and prevent a no-deal Brexit as the Article 50 period was due to end. MPs voted for an extension of Article 50, but Johnson responded by threatening not to comply. The chapter discusses the concept of populism and democratic backsliding. It also expounds on the announcement of prorogation and parliament’s response, which included the Benn–Burt Act. The chain of events pushed the flexibility of the UK constitution to the limits since Johnson seemed to reject the fundamental constraints inherent in parliamentary democracy. The chapter then covers the arguments over the correlation between parliament and sovereignty.