United Kingdom and Gibraltar European Union membership referendum
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Two votes, two beating defeats for Boris Johnson: Against his declared will, the MEPs on Wednesday evening in London first adopted a bill to prevent a Brexit without an agreement with the EU. Subsequently, the head of government put forward early elections to the vote. Only 298 MPs voted for this plan, and the opposition Labor Party abstained. For early elections would have needed 434 votes.
The bill adopted by the MEPs foresees a postponement of the EU withdrawal planned for the end of October until 31 January if there is no agreement on an agreement with Brussels. In the third-reading vote, 327 MPs voted in favor of the submission in London, and thus against the declared will of Johnson. Only 299 voted against it.
Next, the House of Lords must approve the draft, it should still debate in the night of Thursday. There is an immense time pressure: As early as next week, a compulsory break for Johnson, scheduled by Johnson, will start until mid-October.
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The head of government wants the Brexit with all his might for the 31st of October - with or without agreements with the EU. He has even because of the dispute on Tuesday even several dissenters throw his conservative Tory faction from the party.
After the defeat in the no-deal vote, he attacked on Wednesday evening now for the last resort. "Now there must be an election on October 15," Johnson demanded - and failed in the following vote.
Johnson could postpone new elections
For convening early elections, British law requires a two-thirds majority in parliament. So Johnson needed the support of the opposition Labor party. Although this had called for new elections in recent months, but in the vote on Wednesday evening, their deputies abstained.
In support of the ruling, the opposition expressed concern that, in the event of a "yes" to new elections, Johnson could postpone it to post-October 31 elections - and still be able to enforce a no-deal Brexit.
Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn called Johnson's approach "cynical". "The head of government pretends he has a strategy, but he can not tell us which one."
In surveys, Johnson has recently massively gained approval through his confrontation course. By early elections he could possibly secure a new parliamentary majority in parliament, which he has lost by the faction change of a deputy and the party exclusion of the Tory rebels.
