Updated
The British Parliament has voted to prevent Prime
Minister Boris Johnson taking Britain out of the European Union without a
deal, which has prompted him to declare "there must be an election on
October 15".
Key points:
- Boris Johnson accuses Jeremy Corbyn of of supporting a policy of "dither and delay"
- Mr Johnson's bid for an election needs the backing of two-thirds of MPs
- He argues he needs the threat of no-deal to force EU leaders to make concessions
After wresting control of the parliamentary agenda from Mr Johnson six weeks into his premiership, the House of Commons voted 327-299 to approve a bill that would force Mr Johnson to seek a further delay to Brexit rather than leave the EU without an agreement on the scheduled departure date of October 31.
MPs hope to have it passed into law by the end of the week, but pro-Brexit members of the House of Lords are threatening to try to stop it by filibustering — talking so much time runs out.
Mr Johnson has argued that he needs the threat of leaving without a deal to force the EU into making concessions on the divorce agreement that would satisfy Parliament.
He cast the opposition legislative move in the House of Commons as an attempt to surrender to the EU, and demanded an October 15 snap election, a step that could free him of any constraints if he won a majority.
"What unites us is a conviction that there is no mandate for 'no-deal' and that the consequences for our economy and our country would be highly damaging," said Hilary Benn, a senior Labour MP who proposed the bill.
A total of 21 rebels from Mr Johnson's Conservative Party voted for Ms Benn's bill, which progressed to the amendment stage and was due to be voted on in its third reading at around 7:00pm (local time).
The second most powerful man in the Labour Party, John McDonnell, said the 'no-deal' blocking legislation had to get assent from Queen Elizabeth, putting it onto the statute book, before his party would agree to an election.
This could, in theory, happen next Monday.
Parliament's bid to tie Mr Johnson's hands leaves Brexit up in the air, with possible outcomes ranging from a turbulent no-deal exit from the EU to abandoning the whole endeavour — both outcomes that would be unacceptable to swathes of the United Kingdom's voters.
Earlier on Wednesday (local time), Mr Johnson said the opposition's "surrender bill" would "wreck any chance" of Britain concluding successful negotiations with the EU.
However, needing the backing of two-thirds of MPs, Mr Johnson's bid for an election is set to be initially thwarted as opposition parties are united in wanting to prevent a no-deal Brexit before agreeing to a vote.
Mr Johnson said his strategy was to get a Brexit deal by an EU summit on October 17 and "get Brexit done".
'Chlorinated chicken': Johnson taunts Corbyn on election
At Prime Minister's Questions, a parliamentary session when MPs get to quiz the British leader every Wednesday, Mr Johnson used some choice language to attack Labour and try to rally his Conservatives after a bruising night on Tuesday.After losing a vote on his Brexit plans late on Tuesday, Mr Johnson was keen to get on the front foot by accusing Mr Corbyn of supporting a policy of "dither and delay" over Brexit but also of running scared of his call for an early election on October 15.
"There's only one chlorinated chicken that I can see … and he's on that bench," Mr Johnson said, pointing at Mr Corbyn who has criticised the British leader's enthusiasm for a trade deal with the United States over, among other things, concerns over food standards.
He also appeared to shout at Mr Corbyn that he was a "great big girl's blouse" — a coward — over his decision to back an election only when a no-deal Brexit was off the agenda.
In addition to the heated back-and-forth with the Labour leader, Mr Johnson also received a damning rebuke from Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi.
The MP received loud applause after he demanded the Prime Minister apologise for previous "racist" remarks such comparing Muslim women wearing burkas to "letter boxes" or "bank robbers".
"Rather than hide behind sham and whitewash investigations, when will the Prime Minister finally apologise for his derogatory and racist remarks?"Mr Johnson wants to hold a snap election to shake up Parliament, which is deeply divided over Brexit and rejected his predecessor Theresa May's exit deal with the EU three times.
Mr Corbyn has also repeatedly said he wants an election to ditch Mr Johnson's "phoney, populist cabal" but first seeks to see a move to stop the Prime Minister from leading Britain out of the European Union without a deal embedded in legislation.
As the three-year Brexit crisis approaches a crescendo, the United Kingdom was edging towards an election as most British politicians see no other way to break the impasse.
One scenario is for opposition parties to defeat Mr Johnson's bid for an election until they have passed their bill blocking a no-deal Brexit.
Once in law, opposition parties could then agree to an election.
Reuters/AP
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