Queen Elizabeth II has agreed to a request by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to suspend Parliament just days after it returns from summer recess next week, until mid-October, to force through a no-deal Brexit.

Johnson on Wednesday morning asked the monarch to prorogue Parliament on September 9, just days after members return from their summer break, until October 14.

It means MPs who oppose a no-deal Brexit and are plotting to stop it will have just days to find a way of doing so, either side of these dates. The UK is scheduled to leave the European Union on October 31.

The request is a normally a formality under the UK constitution. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and other opposition leaders requested a meeting with the queen to request she block Johnson's request.

The pound fell 0.7% against the dollar and 0.6% against the euro on Wednesday afternoon, following news of Johnson's move.

The House of Commons' speaker, John Bercow, described the decision as a "constitutional outrage."