Boris Johnson has denied lying to the Queen about the reasons for the five-week suspension of parliament. It comes after the Court of Sessions in Edinburgh – Scotland's highest civil court – ruled that the suspension is unlawful. A panel of three judges found in favour of a cross-party group of politicians, who are challenging the Prime Minister's move. They ruled that Boris was attempting to prevent parliament holding the government to account ahead of Brexit. But the PM has maintained that parliament has been prorogued in order to hold a Queen's Speech and set out his domestic agenda. The government has since lodged an appeal against the hearing, which will be heard at the Supreme Court next week. Asked on Thursday whether he had lied to the monarch to get her permission to prorogue parliament, the PM answered: "Absolutely not."
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrime Minister Boris Johnson has denied lying to the Queen
Boris spoke about the latest developments while visiting NLV Pharos, a lighthouse tender moored alongside HMS Belfast. He added: "The High Court in England plainly agrees with us but the Supreme Court will have to decide. We need a Queen's Speech, we need to get on and do all sorts of things at a national level."
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He added: "Parliament will have time both before and after that crucial summit on October 17 and 18 to talk about the Brexit deal. I'm very hopeful that we will get a deal, as I say, at that crucial summit. We're working very hard - I've been around the European capitals talking to our friends. I think we can see the rough area of a landing space, of how you can do it - it will be tough, it will be hard, but I think we can get there."
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe pair will next meet again in October
The Queen met with Boris at Balmoral last Friday, when he arrived with his girlfriend Carrie Symonds for the traditional September weekend visit. Her weekly audience with the PM is currently on hold while she is in Balmoral, but will resume again in October when she returns to Buckingham Palace, shortly before the state opening of Parliament. It will be then that they will meet again for the first time since this week's ruling.
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Buckingham Palace has not responded to the Court of Sessions' decision in order to maintain the Queen's position above politics. But it remains true that she does heavily rely on advice from her current prime minister. "If the Queen asks for formal advice from her prime minister, she’s constitutionally obliged to take it", royal historian, Hugo Vickers, told ITV.
"If she should happen, in one of the private audiences, to give him advice, he is not obliged to take it, which is actually rather a good distinction. Mind you, he'd do well to listen because she's extremely wise and she's been looking at state papers and dealing with these situations long than his entire life."
