LONDON (Reuters) - Shares in UK airlines and housebuilders tumbled on Wednesday after reports the government may seek to suspend parliament in a push to prevent politicians from derailing its plan to exit the European Union, renewing worries about a no-deal Brexit.
Companies that are exposed to the domestic economy like housebuilders were knocked particularly hard.
Taylor Wimpey (L:TW), Persimmon (L:PSN) and Barratt Developments (L:BDEV) were down between 2% and 2.3% at 0906 GMT, among the top decliners on the FTSE 100 (FTSE). British Airways-owner IAG (L:ICAG) fell 1.7% and easyJet (LON:EZJ) dropped 3.2%.
Britain's government will seek to extend the period during which parliament does not normally sit, shutting it for around a month until Oct. 14, just weeks before the Oct. 31 deadline for Brexit, the BBC and the Guardian reported.
The move limits the amount of parliamentary time available to lawmakers who want to prevent Prime Minister Boris Johnson from leaving the EU without an exit deal.