Fri 06 September 2019:
Britain’s opposition parties said Friday that they won’t support Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s call for an election when the issue gets voted on next week, piling more pressure on Britain’s embattled leader as he seeks a way to make good on his promise to leave the European Union next month.
The parties have been mulling whether to agree to Johnson’s plan for an Oct. 15 election, which can only be triggered if two-thirds of lawmakers agree.
Johnson already lost a vote on the same question this week, but plans to try again Monday, saying an election is the only way to break the country’s deadlock over Brexit.
Opponents don’t want to agree to a vote unless they can ensure Johnson can’t take Britain out of the EU as scheduled on Oct. 31 without a divorce agreement in place, as he has threatened to do so.
After discussions Friday, opposition lawmakers said they would not back an election until the government asked the EU to delay Brexit. Johnson says he would “rather be dead in a ditch” than do that.
The parties said they would either vote against Johnson’s motion or abstain on Monday.
Parliament is in the midst of passing an opposition-backed law that would compel the Conservative government to seek a three-month Brexit postponement if no divorce deal is agreed by late October. The bill is likely to become law by Monday, and many pro-EU lawmakers want to hold off on triggering an election until it is set in stone, fearing Johnson will try to wriggle out of the commitment.
It’s unclear what options Johnson has if he loses Monday’s vote. He could call a no-confidence vote in his own government, which would only need a simply a majority to pass. He could try to change the law that governs how elections can be triggered. He could even resign.
In short, it’s a mess.
Johnson became prime minister in July after promising Conservatives that he would complete Brexit and break the impasse that has paralyzed Britain’s politics since voters decided in June 2016 to leave the bloc and which brought down his predecessor, Theresa May.
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