BBC在线收听下载:英国政府打算“关闭议会”

Hello, I'm Debbie Russ with the BBC News.

The British government will ask Queen Elizabeth to suspend parliament for an extended period shortly after the summer recess in a move that would hamper efforts to block a no-deal Brexit. The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has denied the move is aimed at stopping MPs from blocking Britain leaving the European Union without a deal on the 31st of October. He insisted the suspension is to promote his legislative agenda.

We're not going to wait until October the 31st before getting on with our plans to take this country forward. And this is a new government with a very exciting agenda to make our streets safer. It's very important we bring violent crime down. We need to invest in our fantastic NHS and to do that we need new legislation and that's why we are going to have a Queen's Speech and we're going to do it on October the 14.

The Speaker of Parliament has denounced the move as a constitutional outrage. John Bercow said it was, as he put it, blindingly obvious that it was designed to stop parliament debating Brexit. The former Finance Minister Philip Hammond, an opponent of a no-deal Brexit echoed the sentiments. The leader of the opposition Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn said it represented a threat to Britain's democracy. The First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon said she too was outraged by the British Prime Minister's move.

If he's got the courage of his convictions, then bring an election on but have polling day before the 31st of October... And if he's not prepared to do that, then the question is what exactly is he frightened of? His acting like some kind of tin-pot dictator. If MPs don't stop it, then it is no exaggeration, is no hyperbole, to say this is the day any semblance of UK parliamentary democracy absolutely dies.

The pound has slumped against both the Dollar and the Euro. Our royal correspondent Johnny Dymond looks at the Queen's role in the decision.

It is very, very much established that the Queen acts on the advice of her ministers, in particular her prime minister, and if her prime minister comes to her and says would you please prorogue parliament? That has been an extraordinarily good reason for it not to happen. It is almost unheard of in British history, it is unheard of in modern constitutional history, for the sovereign to turn down the request.

Crucial talks on forming a new government are underway in Italy with just hours to go to the deadline set by the president. The populist Five Star Movement and the center-left Democratic Party are attempting to form a coalition after the collapse of the one between the populace and the far-right League. Both Five Star and the PD say they hope to build a stable government. President Sergio Mattarella will be meeting the main party leaders later in the day to chart the way ahead.

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