THE Welsh Government is urging Prime Minister Boris Johnson to state that he will not seek to take the "unconstitutional" step of proroguing Parliament in order to force through a no-deal Brexit.

In a written statement issued yesterday, First Minister Mark Drakeford says that a no-deal Brexit would have a "catastrophic impact" on Wales, a message that has been consistently put to the UK Government "time and again", most recently during a meeting between Mr Drakeford and Mr Johnson on July 30.

Mr Drakeford said that in a UK Government letter sent to anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller in the last few days, the Prime Minister "continues expressly to refuse to rule out taking unconstitutional steps to achieve a no deal Brexit."

"The Welsh Government is very troubled that the Prime Minister may still entertain the possibility of proroguing Parliament with the intention of limiting debate, scrutiny and the expression of the will of Parliament in what is the most important time in our generation," said Mr Drakeford.

"The Welsh Government therefore calls on the Prime Minister to put the matter beyond doubt, and confirm that he will not be taking steps to prorogue Parliament in the period leading up to 31 October 2019."

The Welsh Government will continue to monitor developments closely in the absence of this clarification, and "a Welsh Government lawyer will be deployed to monitor, directly the next hearings in the recent legal challenge brought before the Court of Session in Scotland by Joanna Cherry MP, and 74 other Parliamentarians, along with the Good Law Project".

"Specific, expert legal advice" has also been commissioned to explore potential options that may be open to the Welsh Government to safeguard Wales' interests "in the event that the UK Government fails to do so".