Dangerous precedent or normal practice? Chingford politicians on suspending Parliament

Boris Johnson announced on Wednesday he would suspend Parliament from between September 10 and 12 to October 14 – which means MPs are unlikely to have time to block the PM’s Brexit plans.

The move has sparked protests, a legal challenge and a petition with more than a million signatures.

Labour Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn has described the move as a “smash and grab on our democracy”.

But Iain Duncan Smith, MP for Chingford & Woodford Green defended it.

He said: “The suspension of Parliament is being portrayed by those who oppose it as some sort of alien process and a means of thwarting debate over Brexit and no-deal. It's not unusual.

Iain Duncan Smith

“This is the longest sitting Parliament we have had for hundreds of years without proroguing Parliament. The Government is going to do what is normal practice; proroguing parliament before a Queen's Speech.

“All Boris Johnson and the UK Government are saying is look, it's time we had a Queen's Speech. We've got a new Government; we need to set out the agenda such as funding the NHS, fighting violent crime, investing in infrastructure and cutting the cost of living for people up and down the country.

“This is not a constitutional outrage, MPs have had three years of debate, in which Parliament has voted down the Withdrawal Agreement three times.

“During this time the Government will continue to negotiate with the EU, which can be put to Parliament for debate.”

But Labour's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green, Faiza Shaheen, said: “By proroguing (suspending)Parliament at this crucial time, the unelected Prime Minister Boris Johnson has undermined democracy and set a dangerous precedent.

Faiza Shaheen

“For what? To drive through an undemocratic and calamitous no-deal Brexit or perhaps as a way to neutralise the threat of the Brexit Party in a likely late autumn General Election.

“Either way, Johnson and his fellow Conservatives have reminded us that they will stop at nothing to protect their power and interests.

“After almost a decade of public spending cuts and mismanagement of Brexit, the Conservatives are now unleashing even more uncertainty and insecurity on everyday people’s lives. It has never been clearer that the Conservatives are not fit to govern.”

Dr Geoffrey Seeff, Liberal Democrat prospective candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green, said: "I am horrified at the actions of Johnson and his fanatical cronies who have taken the first step towards the destruction of the stable democracy that this country established and of which it has been so proud.

"It is the thin edge of a very nasty wedge by which an unelected cabal is using to steamroller through a damaging policy that the majority of people in Chingford and Woodford Green do not want and certainly did not vote for.

"The tragedy of this political development is that a Pandora’s 
Box has been opened and Johnson and others with autocratic tendencies 
will in future be less inhibited from overriding the rules that order 
civil society and will inevitably lead to further abuse of citizens’ 
rights.

"He has already indicated that he will ignore Parliament if he 
loses a vote of no confidence. This must be resisted!"

The Guardian Series has approached other political parties for comment.