Boris Johnson Insists He Told the Queen the Truth

"Absolutely not." That was Prime Minister Boris Johnson's answer Thursday when asked if he lied to Queen Elizabeth when asking her to sign off on the suspension of Parliament that's now in effect. The question was spurred by a Wednesday development out of Scotland, where the country's highest civil court deemed Johnson's move unlawful. It unanimously agreed that Johnson had misled the queen about his motivations, which the court said were to improperly stymie Parliament, per the BBC. CNN reports Johnson added that "the High Court in England plainly agrees with us, but the Supreme Court will have to decide."

The Guardian quibbles with that statement, calling it "a very partial account of what the high court actually said." Yes, the high court did not deem the prorogation unlawful, but it "took no view" on whether Johnson's move truly did have nothing to do with narrowing the amount of time the opposition has to try to prevent a no-deal Brexit. "The court did not take a view on this at all. Instead it rejected the legal challenge on the grounds that decisions to prorogue parliament are inherently political, and therefore outside the scope of the courts." The UK Supreme Court is scheduled to hold a hearing on both cases Tuesday. Johnson has characterized the five weeks of "proroguing" that are underway as simply a way to kick off a fresh parliamentary session with a new agenda. (More Boris Johnson stories.)