Thousands of people took to the streets in various parts of Britain to protest Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend parliament weeks before his departure from the European Union.

British media reported that demonstrations had taken place in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Manchester, Bristol, Cambridge and Durham.

More than a million people have signed a petition requesting the British parliament not to suspend its work from mid-September to mid-October, as Johnson requested.

The petition, whose number exceeded one million before midnight last night, was published on the eve of Johnson's request to suspend parliament before the scheduled departure of the European Union.

Opposition leaders say Johnson's request is a deliberate attempt to block lawmakers' efforts to prevent the country from leaving the EU without an agreement.

Former finance minister Philip Hammond, who resigned when Johnson became leader of the Conservative Party, called the move "largely undemocratic."

British media reported that Scottish Conservative Party leader Ruth Davidson would announce her resignation on Thursday in protest.

Johnson's decision also provoked resentment among parliamentarians, especially those opposed to Britain's withdrawal from the European Union (Brexit).

Violation of the Constitution
British opposition circles saw Johnson's move as a violation of the country's constitution. The leader of the opposition Labor Party, Jeremy Corbin, said the government's decision was a reckless violation of the foundations of democracy in Britain.

Corbin said that "the meeting we had yesterday with all opposition parties reached an agreement to take action next week and continue to work with anyone who wants to prevent the destruction of our democracy and damage it."

Britain's House of Commons Speaker John Birko called the extension a "constitutional scandal", although parliament was usually suspended in September because of annual party conventions.

But Johnson denied that the aim was to prevent the British opposition from discussing or addressing the process of withdrawal from the European Union without agreement, which is scheduled at the end of October.

"Our goal is to bring in a new legislative program that addresses crime, health and education," Johnson said.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday approved Johnson's request to temporarily suspend parliament from mid-September to mid-October.