British PM Johnson confirms parliament suspension until October 14

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday confirmed parliament suspension until October 14, as part of a drive to prevent politicians from derailing its Brexit plan.

The move, reported by the British mediaBBC and The Guardian, limits the amount of parliamentary time available to lawmakers who want to prevent the prime minister from leaving the EU without an exit deal.

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It comes a day after lawmakers who are opposed to a so-called no-deal Brexit met to discuss ways they could use parliamentary procedure to force Johnson to seek a delay to Brexit.

A meeting about the government's move to limit parliamentary time took place at Queen Elizabeth's Scottish summer residence in Balmoral on Wednesday.

Parliament returns on September 3 and had been expected to sit for two weeks before breaking up again to allow each national political party to hold their annual conference. Typically it begins sitting again in early October.

The BBC said Johnson would set an October 14 date for the Queen's Speech - the formal state opening of a new session of parliament at which Queen Elizabeth reads a speech prepared by the government, setting out a legislative agenda for the coming year.

A Queen's Speech on October14 would delay parliament's return, and leave lawmakers with just over two weeks until Britain is due to leave the EU on October31.

(With inputs from agencies)