Jacob Rees-Mogg is set to ask the Queen to prorogue parliament as soon as this weekend under plans to help the prime minister deliver a Queen's Speech on October 14.
Ministers are informally sounding out the Supreme Court before making another attempt to suspend parliament. Last week the court upended an earlier attempt to prorogue parliament, ruling that it was unlawful.
Boris Johnson wants the Commons to wind up on Tuesday so that he can press ahead with the planned Queen's Speech. Ministers are insisting that it will take at least three working days to prepare the Palace of Westminster for the event marking a new session.
The installation of a throne in the House of Lords as well as security logistics mean that Tuesday is the latest day on which parliament can remain sitting, they claim.
However, Labour is insisting that the Commons sit until at least a week today. That would ensure that Mr Johnson would have to take what would be only his second prime minister's questions. It would also give MPs an opportunity to force him to apologise for dismissing as "humbug" claims that his language was being cited by those making death threats.
The Supreme Court ruled that Mr Johnson's initial prorogation was void because he had failed to explain why parliament needed to be suspended for five weeks. Giving the ruling, Baroness Hale of Richmond, president of the court, said: "This was not a normal prorogation."
With ministers anxious to avoid provoking another row, suspending parliament for less than a week before the Queen's Speech will be much less controversial as it is in line with precedent.
An initial proposal to suspend parliament tomorrow was quickly abandoned after informal soundings with the court and other key figures, according to one of those consulted.
Ministers will be particularly keen to avoid exposing the Queen to further political controversy.
Mr Johnson phoned the Queen shortly after last week's ruling, which nullified the initial prorogation. He is said to have apologised.
Mr Johnson has so far limited his criticism to the ruling itself after being warned by Robert Buckland, the justice secretary, and Geoffrey Cox, the attorney-general, to avoid impugning the motives of the 11 judges.
However, the prime minister has made it clear that he believes the ruling must trigger a wider review of the constitutional settlement and the accountability of the judiciary. He used a weekend interview to suggest that Britain was on a course towards a US model, where appointees to the Supreme Court would have to be confirmed by politicians.
The Queen's Speech is supposed to outline the legislative programme for the next session. Mr Johnson, who does not have a Commons majority, has no chance of delivering any of the bills that will be announced. He is keen to showcase his priorities before an election as well as to force opposition parties to vote against a series of measures, particularly on crime.
However, the debates will allow opposition parties to table a series of amendments, including on Brexit. None would have any substantive force.
Prior to the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act the loss of a vote on a Queen's Speech would have triggered a general election since it was obvious that the government no longer had a majority.
A defeat for Mr Johnson's legislative programme later this month will not collapse his government, although it will strengthen his argument that the present parliament should end.