Hello, and this is Talking Politics.

Of course, I'm not your usual host.

My name is Galen Druk, and I'm the host of the 538 politics podcast based out of the United States.

I had the opportunity to speak with David Runciman and Helen Thompson for an episode of our podcast about Boris Johnson's prerogation of Parliament.

And as a sort of treat, we wanted to do a crossover

and share this episode with you in the Talking Politics Feed. I hope you enjoy.

Hello and welcome to the 538 Politics Podcast. I'm Gailen Druk. As you know, we are mostly, almost exclusively,

an American politics podcast. But periodically, we've looked across the pond to Brexit for lessons

on democracy and our current political moment globally. And that's what we're going to do today.

So yesterday, on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that he'd asked the

Queen to suspend Parliament for a month, beginning shortly after lawmakers returned from break

in September. The Queen approved the request, which will shorten the amount of time members

of Parliament have to debate a Brexit deal. The deadline for a deal is October 31st, when Britain

is scheduled to exit the European Union with or without a deal. The deadline for a deal is October 31st when Britain is scheduled to exit the European

Union with or without a deal. The Speaker of the House of Commons, a conservative, called

the move a constitutional outrage, and there's been back and forth over what it means for

norms and laws in Britain. So here with me to discuss Boris Johnson's suspension of parliament

and more are two professors that regular listeners

will be familiar with as our Brexit experts. They are David Runciman, who is the head of the

Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge. Hello, David.

Hi. And also with us is Helen Thompson, a professor in the Cambridge Department of Politics

and International Studies focusing on political

...