The UK’s main opposition parties will now block or abstain from voting if Boris Johnson puts a general election back on the table in Parliament on Monday.
Boris Johnson has already lost a vote this week after calling for a general election that required 434 MPs to support it under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. If Johnson wants the election vote to pass, he will not only need all the support of Conservative MPs and the DUP, but he will need Labour support and the SNP too.
The latest move is to prevent the Prime Minister from seeking an election on October 15th before an EU summit on October 17th where Brexit would be discussed by EU member states. This is to effectively rule out a no-deal Brexit before the 31st October, so that Article 50 can be extended to early 2020.
Johnson said that the decision to block a snap poll was an “extraordinary political mistake” and would plunge the country into further uncertainty. Johnson, having lost his majority in Parliament is now unable to pass legislation without the support of opposition parties.
However Johnson may come back with an alternative on Monday that could involve a motion of no-confidence in himself, that would only need a simple majority in Parliament to bring about a snap election.
