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The Houses of Parliament
Boris Johnson advised the Queen to close Parliament for five weeks.

PM Johnson’s Parliament Before Prorogation

Conservative Party members chose Boris Johnson to be our next Prime Minister, with one aim - to deliver Brexit. His first session in Parliament as PM did not go as planned and he lost his majority within two days. His attempts to call an early General Election also failed, and it was not long before Parliament was suspended by prorogation.

Boris Johnson's first premiership was a strict one. He expelled more than 20 of his own MPs for voting against him, which did not go down well in some quarters. Some Conservative MPs even resigned their posts in protest.

Johnson's declaration that he would rather "die in a ditch" than ask the EU for a further extension to Article 50, put him on a collision course with MPs who voted by a clear majority to force his hand. How would he avoid this, when doing so would be illegal?

1.
Boris Johnson became our new Prime Minister following a leadership election by members of the Conservative Party. How many people voted for Mr. Johnson in that election?
9,215,368
921,536
92,153
9,215
That’s 0.2% of the UK electorate. His opponent, Jeremy Hunt, received 46,656 votes
2.
While forming his Government, Johnson dismissed 11 senior ministers and accepted the resignation of 6 others. What did the Sun newspaper call the purge?
Night of the Blond Knives
Cabinet Carnage
A Job Well Done
Rebels Rooted Out
It was the largest reorganisation of a cabinet since World War II. Conservative MP Nigel Evans described it as "not so much a reshuffle as a summer's day massacre"
3.
On 28th August 2019, Boris Johnson advised the Queen to close Parliament for five weeks. What is the formal name of this shut down?
Recess
Suspension
Adjournment
Prorogation
This action was challenged by MPs in four separate courts. On September 11th Scotland’s highest civil court ruled Johnson’s suspension of the UK Parliament to be unlawful. Judges said that the prorogation had been a "tactic to frustrate Parliament" rather than a legitimate use of power. The Supreme Court made a final judgement on September 24th - Boris Johnson's suspension of Parliament was indeed unlawful. Parliament reopened the following day
4.
When he became Prime Minister, Boris Johnson had a majority in Parliament of one MP. He lost this on September 3rd 2019, when Conservative MP Phillip Lee resigned from his party and joined which other?
The Brexit Party
The Liberal Democrats
UKIP
The Green Party
Mr. Johnson was addressing the Commons when Lee stole his limelight by walking from the Government benches to those of the Opposition
5.
On September 3rd Mr. Johnson’s Government lost its first vote in Parliament. Opposition MPs passed a motion with the aim of stopping what?
Stopping the UK from leaving the EU on October 31st without a deal
Stopping the UK from ever leaving the EU without a deal
Stopping the UK from ever leaving the EU
Stopping the UK from holding another referendum
The Opposition were supported by Conservative rebel MPs and the bill passed by 327 votes to 299
6.
Following his first defeat, Mr. Johnson expelled 21 of his own MPs from the Conservative Party, including Sir Nicholas Soames, the grandson of which former Prime Minister?
Tony Blair
Sir Winston Churchill
Edward Heath
Margaret Thatcher
Amongst other big names who were expelled from the Conservative Party were former Chancellors Kenneth Clarke and Philip Hammond. The Government’s majority was now a minority of 43
7.
The first vote that Mr. Johnson put before Parliament was a motion for a General Election. He lost because he needed a two-thirds majority under which act?
The Five-Year Parliament Act
The European Union Withdrawal Act
The Tightrope Act
The Fixed-Term Parliaments Act
Under the act (brought in by David Cameron), a General Election is held every five years, unless there is a vote of no confidence in the Government, or a majority of two-thirds of the House of Commons
8.
On September 5th Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, Jo Johnson, resigned from his post. What relation is he to Boris Johnson?
Father
Cousin
Brother
Son
He said the reason for his resignation was that he was, “torn between family and national interest"
9.
The next minister to resign was Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Amber Rudd. What did she give as the reason she left her post?
The Government was now a minority
She wanted to join the Labour Party
The Government's main objective was a no-deal Brexit
She wanted to take a long break from politics
She also said the government was having no "formal negotiations" with the EU about a new deal, and that 80-90% of Brexit work was spent preparing for an "inferior" no-deal option
10.
Before prorogation, Boris Johnson's Government was defeated on six occasions in the House of Commons. How many times did it win a vote?
Never
Twice
Four times
Six times
The last Prime Minister to have such a poor record was Lord Rosebery in 1894
Author:  Graeme Haw

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