Justice Secretary refuses to rule out proroguing Parliament for a second time

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has refused to rule out the possibility of the Government proroguing Parliament for a second time next month.



He said it was "idle" to speculate on the possibility of MPs being sent home again in the run-up to Brexit day on 31 October.

Parliament is currently prorogued until 14 October, when the Queen's Speech will set out the Government's legislative agenda.

Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson's top adviser, raised the possibility of a second suspension at a meeting of government advisers last week.

Asked on Radio Four's Today programme whether it could happen again, Mr Buckland said: "Harold Wilson said a week is a long time in politics, it seems like an hour is a long time in politics at the moment.

"For me to sit here and imagine what might happen at the end of October, I think, is idle.

"What I do know, if we are able to, we will have a Queen’s Speech in mid-October, there will be debate during that time and a vote as well, and perhaps a series of votes.

"Parliament has already shown its power it had a week in September where it made pretty significant legislation. I think the idea that somehow Parliament has been prevented from having its voice doesn’t seem to be borne out by events frankly."

Last week, the Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled that the prorogation was unlawful and had been a "tactic to frustrate Parliament" over Brexit.

The Supreme Court started hearing the Government's appeal against the judgement on Tuesday.