Why the queen said yes to Boris Johnson’s request to suspend parliament

When Queen Elizabeth II agreed to suspend Parliament, she gave British Prime Minister Boris Johnson what he wanted.

Opponents of Johnson’s move view it as a cynical and perhaps unconstitutional maneuver. Johnson, they say, is trying to quash growing opposition to his efforts to leave the European Union. Johnson took office July 24, promising to pull the U.K. out of the EU by Oct. 31 even if his government and the European Union hadn’t agreed to terms by then. British voters approved a referendum to leave the EU in June 2016.

The day before Johnson asked the queen to suspend Parliament, opposition leaders announced a plan to force Johnson to ask the EU for an extension to the Halloween deadline, if no deal had yet been struck.

Now they may not get the chance, as a result of Johnson’s actions, and the queen’s. The situation raises thorny questions over who actually represents the will of the British people.