The Queen could put the Brexit negotiations at risk, according to the Deputy Director of the Institute for Government. Speaking to Channel 4 News, Hannah White claimed the monarch could “sack” Prime Minister Boris Johnson if he broke the law. Mr Johnson has said he could refuse to ask for a Brexit extension and subsequently refuse to resign as required.

Parliament has passed the Benn Bill, that aims to block the UK leaving the EU without a deal on October 31.

On Monday it gained royal assent, meaning the bill becomes law.

The bill clearly states that it is the Prime Minister who would have to request an extension directly to the president of the European Council.

Theoretically, Mr Johnson could refuse to write or sign that letter, but that would almost certainly lead to court action.

If this scenario becomes reality, the Queen would be able to fire the Prime Minister, Ms White said.

She said: “I think two things will happen. There will very likely be court cases brought against him and at the same time, I imagine, that parliamentarians will bring a vote of no confidence against him.

“There’s a two-week window (to look for an alternative Prime Minister), but it doesn’t need to take to weeks.

“And I think in a situation like this where Boris Johnson was breaking the law other people who didn’t like that would get together and find somebody else who they did have confidence in, who could command the confidence of the House.”

“So after two weeks you would automatically have an election but the point of it is to allow an opportunity for somebody else to try to command the confidence of the House.

Ms White added: “I think in a situation like this, and it’s completely unthinkable really.

“I think it would be open to the Queen to sack him and put someone else in who she felt could command the confidence of the House.

“I think if you have a Prime Minister who is openly breaking the law, she could do that.

“It comes down to the Queen and that is why this is deeply undesirable.

“Because it is always the case in our constitution that the Queen should be kept out of politics, and that a Prime Minister should only resign if he can recommend somebody else who could be Prime Minister in their place.”

However, regardless of what UK law says, any extension to Brexit has to be agreed to by all the other 27 members of the EU.

There is a possibility other European leaders are not convinced that they should grant the UK another delay, meaning the UK could still leave the EU on October 31 without a deal.

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