Thousands rally across UK over plans by PM Johnson to suspend parliament

The decision by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson to suspend Parliament, weeks before the UK leaves the European Union has sparked demonstrations.

Thousands of protesters rallied in London outside Downing Street, the official residence of the prime minister, to oppose the controversial move which is scheduled for early September.

“What Boris Johnson has done is just not British,” said builder Andrew Russell, 40, from Kent.

“We have got to defend parliamentary sovereignty – closing down Parliament is anti-democratic and hypocritical,” Russell added.

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But while citizens, politicians and leading journalists have pledged to resist the move, Johnson defended his decision to prorogue Parliament and criticised his opponents.

“I’m afraid that the more our friends and partners think at the back of their minds that Brexit could be stopped, that the UK could be kept in, by Parliament, the less likely they are to give us the deal that we need,” he told journalists on Friday.

“And so, that’s why I really hope that MPs will allow the UK to do a deal and to get ready for a no-deal Brexit – and that’s the best way forward for our country,” he added.

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