There’s a bit of stooshie going down at Westminster, if you hadn’t noticed. Everyone’s favourite prime minister Boris Johnson has asked the Queen to prorogue Parliament, which will suspend it for five weeks. The Queen has given the go-ahead.

The Prime Minister insists he is doing it from the goodness of his kindly Tory heart, simply to set out his “exciting agenda” in a Queen’s Speech on October 14.

But critics, including Commons Speaker John Bercow, have slammed the move, calling it a “constitutional outrage”, a cunning ploy designed to stop MPs from intervening as the UK hurtles towards a catastrophic No-Deal Brexit on October 31. Surely not.

So what does it all mean? Here are some of the key questions and answers sparked by Wednesday’s move:

What is prorogation?

Prorogation marks the end of a parliamentary session. The current session, which started on June 21, 2017, with the last State Opening and Queen’s Speech, has been the longest in history. And jings has it seemed long. Very, very long.

Who does it?

The Queen formally prorogues Parliament following guidance from the Privy Council, which is her crew of advisers made up mainly of senior politicians, so always a trustworthy bunch.

Why does Boris Johnson want to prorogue Parliament now?

A new Government brings with it new plans and legislation which are set out in a Queen’s Speech. Johnson insists he has asked the Queen to bring about the end of the current session of Parliament so he can start afresh. Nothing at all to do with scuppering any hope of Parliament preventing a No-Deal Brexit, then. Definitely not.

What happens during prorogation?

While Parliament is prorogued, MPs and peers cannot formally debate policy and legislation or make any laws of their own. Like, em, prevent a No-Deal Brexit.

Parliamentary scrutiny is suspended and the powers of the Houses of Commons and Lords are taken away until the next Queen’s Speech.

How long will Parliament be prorogued for?

Prorogation is usually short – no longer than two weeks, with it leading to either a General Election or the start of a new Parliamentary session.

Under the new plan, Parliament is set to be dissolved in the second week of its September sitting, possibly as early as Tuesday, September 10, with MPs due to return for the Queen’s Speech on October 14.

So why has the move sparked such a stooshie?

There have been fears for a few months that, should the Government not be able to strike an exit deal with the European Union, the Prime Minister would move to prorogue Parliament to prevent MPs from trying to stop the UK hurtling over the No-Deal Brexit cliff edge. But surely Johnson and his band of hard-line Brexiteers would not countenance such scullduggery …

Critics suggest otherwise. Senior opposition figures and Tory opponents of a No-Deal Brexit met on Tuesday to draw up plans to stop the UK crashing out of the EU without an agreement. A day later the PM has moved to curtail their time to draw-up legislation that would prevent Britain from exiting without a Withdrawal Agreement signed-off. Timing, as they say, is everything.

So could a snap General Election still be on the cards?

Word is that the surprise announcement that Chancellor Sajid Javid will set out Whitehall spending budgets next week is a sign that plans are being ramped up for an early election.

Then again, inviting the Queen to Parliament for the pomp and ceremony of the Queen’s Speech on October 14 would be a strange thing to do if the PM is actually planning a snap election.

But if opposition and rebel Tory MPs get behind a no-confidence motion against the Government to fight back against prorogation, that could force Parliament into a stalemate where a General Election is the only way out.

Watch this space (where no-one can hear you scream) …