United Kingdom

LONDON (AP) — The Latest on Brexit (all times local):

10:30 p.m.

Britain will be stepping up its technical meetings with European Union negotiators as the nation tries to secure a deal to leave the trading bloc.

Downing Street says in a statement its team of Brexit negotiators will meet with their EU counterparts twice a week throughout September, with the possibility of additional technical meetings. Two meetings are set to take place next week.

LONDON, Aug 29 (NNN-Xinhua) — Thousands of people gathered in city squares across Britain to protest against Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement he is to suspend the House of Commons.

Protestors, waving banners, accused Johnson of staging a political coup.

Opponents of Johnson claimed his decision, sanctioned by Queen Elizabeth, is a move deliberately aimed at curtailing the ability of MPs to stop him from taking Britain out of the European Union on Oct. 31 without a deal.

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government on Thursday dared lawmakers who want to stop a no-deal Brexit: change the law or change the government if you want to stop Britain leaving the European Union on Oct. 31.

Britain is weeks away from leaving the EU but has yet to secure a deal with Brussels to soften the impact of breaking away from its biggest trading partner. Johnson says he wants a deal, but will leave without one if necessary.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s Queen Elizabeth did not question the government’s request to suspend parliament for over a month ahead of Brexit, House of Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said on Thursday.

“The queen, her majesty, had no discretion over this. There is no precedent for the queen refusing a request by her prime minister under these circumstances,” Rees-Mogg told the BBC.

He denied a suggestion that moving to suspend parliament had put the monarch, who by convention avoids any involvement in politics, in an awkward position.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson maneuvered Wednesday to give his political opponents even less time to block a chaotic no-deal Brexit before the Oct. 31 withdrawal deadline, winning Queen Elizabeth II’s approval to suspend Parliament. His critics were outraged.

Though Johnson previously had refused to rule out such a move, the timing of the decision took lawmakers — many of whom are on vacation — by surprise.

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will limit parliament’s opportunity to derail his Brexit plans by announcing his new legislative agenda on Oct. 14 - his boldest move yet in the push to take the country out of the European Union on Oct. 31.

A government source said Johnson, who has vowed to take Britain out of the EU without a divorce deal if necessary, plans to set an Oct. 14 date for the Queen’s Speech - the formal state opening of a new session of parliament.

EDINBURGH, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The increasing prospect of a no-deal Brexit could put the second Scottish Independence referendum onto a fast track as the historic geopolitical shift may further sour the fragile relations between Westminster and the pro-Remain region.

LONDON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Political opposition leaders at Westminster held their first joint meeting in London Tuesday, aiming at finding a way of stopping Prime Minister from taking Britain out of the European Union without a deal.

The meeting, chaired by main opposition leader, Labour's Jeremy Corbyn, was also attended by the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP), Liberal Democrats, Greens and Plaid Cymru, the Party of Wales.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has written to 116 Conservative and independent lawmakers who have voted against a no-deal Brexit to offer to work together to find a practical way to prevent such an outcome.

Recipients of the letter include several former government ministers, such as Theresa May, Philip Hammond and Greg Clark, the Labour Party said on Tuesday.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose more than 1% on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump predicted a trade deal with China following positive comments by Beijing, calming concerns raised by an earlier round of tit-for-tat tariff hikes.

Brent crude LCOc1 was up 61 cents, or 1.04%, at $59.31 a barrel by 1405 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures CLc1 were up 70 cents, or 1.3%, at $54.34.