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Johnson denies he lied to Queen Elizabeth about proroguing parliament

The Prime Minister of Great Britain, Boris Johnson, has denied that he lied to Queen Elizabeth during the advice he gave her regarding the five-week suspension of parliament.

The Prime Minister made the comments after Scotland's highest civil court ruled on Wednesday that the shutdown of parliament was illegal. Asked if he had lied to Queen Elizabeth about his reasons for the suspension, he replied: "absolutely not".

Powers to suspend parliament belong to the Queen, who acts on the advice of the prime minister. The current five-week suspension began in the early hours of Tuesday, and MPs will not return to session until October 14.

The decision to suspend the work of the parliament has come as Britain has October 31 as the date for leaving the European Union. British lawmakers have urged Johnson to ask the EU for an extension to the Brexit date if no deal is agreed on the terms of the divorce by the end of October.