Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Johnson's Brexit Plans in Crisis After 3rd Defeat in 2 Days
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
September 5, 2019

Share

LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Wednesday for a national election on Oct. 15, saying it was the only way out of Britain’s Brexit impasse after lawmakers moved to block his plan to leave the European Union next month without a divorce deal.

“The obvious conclusion, I’m afraid, is that (Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn) does not think he will win.” — Prime Minister Boris Johnson
But Parliament delivered Johnson his third defeat in two days and turned down a motion triggering a vote. Johnson indicated he would try again, saying an election was the only way forward for the country, and accusing opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn of being afraid of the public’s judgment.
“The obvious conclusion, I’m afraid, is that he does not think he will win,” Johnson said.
Scarcely six weeks after taking office with a vow to break Britain’s Brexit deadlock — which entrapped and finally defeated his predecessor, Theresa May — Johnson’s own plans to lead the U.K. out of the EU are in crisis.
Johnson insists Britain must leave the bloc on the scheduled date of Oct. 31, with or without a divorce deal, but many lawmakers — including several from Johnson’s Conservative Party — are determined to thwart him. On Wednesday the House of Commons approved an opposition bill designed to halt a no-deal Brexit.

Johnson Needs the Support of Two-Thirds of the 650 Lawmakers

Johnson accused the opposition of trying to “overturn the biggest democratic vote in our history,” referring to the outcome of the 2016 referendum to leave the EU.
His solution, a risky one, is an election that could shake up Parliament and produce a less obstructive crop of lawmakers. But opinion polls do not point to a certain majority for Johnson’s Conservatives, and on Wednesday Johnson did not get the general election he craves — at least not yet. Opposition parties, deeply mistrustful of the prime minister, refused to back a new election until the anti-no deal bill becomes law.
“Let the bill pass and have Royal Assent and then we can have a general election,” Corbyn said.
Johnson needed the support of two-thirds of the 650 lawmakers in the House of Commons to trigger an election — a total of 434 — but got just 298, with 56 voting no and the rest abstaining.
Johnson signaled that he would try again to trigger a snap election, urging opposition lawmakers to “reflect overnight and in the course of the next few days.”
The maneuvers are part of a head-on showdown between Johnson’s Brexit-at-all-costs administration and a Parliament worried about the economic and social damage that could be wrought by a messy divorce.
Opposition lawmakers, supported by rebels in Johnson’s Conservative Party, warn that crashing out of the bloc without a divorce agreement would cause irreparable economic harm.

Bill Would Require the Government to Ask the EU to Delay Brexit

In a second straight day of parliamentary turmoil, the House of Commons voted by 327-299 in favor of an opposition bill to block a no-deal Brexit, sending it to Parliament’s upper chamber, the House of Lords. Even so, the bill’s fate is unsure. With Johnson set to suspend Parliament for several weeks starting next week, pro-Brexit peers in the Lords are threatening to try to stop it by filibustering until time runs out.

“There is very little time left. The purpose of the bill is very simple: to ensure that the United Kingdom does not leave the European Union on the 31st of October without an agreement.” — Labour Party lawmaker Hilary Benn
“There is very little time left,” said Labour Party lawmaker Hilary Benn as he introduced the opposition bill. “The purpose of the bill is very simple: to ensure that the United Kingdom does not leave the European Union on the 31st of October without an agreement.”
The bill would require the government to ask the EU to delay Brexit until Jan. 31, 2020, if it can’t secure a deal with the bloc by late October.
The lawmakers hope to pass the bill into law — a process that can take months — by the end of the week, because Johnson plans to suspend Parliament at some point next week until Oct. 14.
Johnson became prime minister in July by promising to lead Britain out of the EU, breaking the impasse that has paralyzed the country’s politics since voters decided in June 2016 to leave the bloc. But he is caught between the EU, which refuses to renegotiate the deal it stuck with May, and a majority of British lawmakers opposed to leaving without an agreement. Most economists say a no-deal Brexit would cause severe economic disruption and plunge the U.K. into recession.

Events Have Spiraled out of Johnson’s Control

Johnson insisted Wednesday that talks with the EU on a revised deal were “making substantial progress.”
But the bloc says the U.K. has not submitted any substantial new proposals. European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said “there is nothing new” from London.
Johnson, who was a leader of the 2016 campaign to leave the EU, has long said that his enthusiasm and energy for Brexit will allow him to succeed in leaving the EU where May had failed, leading to her resignation.
But events have spiraled out of his control. He leads a government with no majority in Parliament and may not be able to secure an election that could change that fact.
He was humiliated Tuesday — the first day of Parliament’s autumn term — by losing his first Commons vote as prime minister when lawmakers passed a motion 328-301 that enabled their push for a law stopping a no-deal Brexit. His government lost its working majority as one Conservative lawmaker defected to the opposition, and more than 20 Tory legislators sided with the opposition on the vote.
“Not a good start, Boris!” one unidentified lawmaker shouted after the vote.

Case Was Only the First of Several Challenges

Johnson responded with swift vengeance, expelling the rebels from the Conservatives in Parliament, leaving them as independent lawmakers. Among those bounced out were former International Development Secretary Rory Stewart; Kenneth Clarke, a former treasury chief and the longest-serving member of the House of Commons; and Nicholas Soames, the grandson of Johnson hero Winston Churchill.
Soames came close to tears as he told the House of Commons that he had been proud to serve as a Conservative lawmaker for 37 years.
“I am truly very sad that it should end in this way,” he said.
The beleaguered U.K. leader got a boost Wednesday when a Scottish court refused to intervene in his decision to suspend Parliament, ruling it was a matter for lawmakers to decide, not the courts.
The case was only the first of several challenges to Johnson’s maneuver, however.
Transparency campaigner Gina Miller, who won a ruling in the Supreme Court in 2017 that stopped the government from triggering the countdown to Brexit without a vote in Parliament, has another legal challenge in the works — set to be heard Thursday. A human rights campaigner has sued in Northern Ireland, arguing that the historic Good Friday peace accord is in jeopardy because of Johnson’s actions.
[activecampaign form=29]

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Advisory Warns of ‘Heightened Threat Environment’ in US After Iran Strikes

DON'T MISS

Muslim Countries to Set up Contact Group to Seek Israel-Iran De-Escalation

DON'T MISS

Visalia Police Seek Public’s Help in Sexual Assault Investigation

DON'T MISS

Despite Clashes With US Presidents, Israel’s Netanyahu Usually Gets His Way

DON'T MISS

Pope Leo Urges International Diplomacy to Prevent ‘Irreparable Abyss’

DON'T MISS

Oil to Open Higher as US Strikes on Iran Boost Supply Risk Premium

DON'T MISS

US Strikes Against Iran Not Aimed at Regime Change, Pentagon Chief Says

DON'T MISS

US Bombing of Iran Started With a Fake-Out

DON'T MISS

Pakistan Condemns Trump’s Bombing of Iran a Day After Nominating Him for Peace Prize

DON'T MISS

World Awaits Iran’s Response After Trump Says US ‘Obliterates’ Nuclear Sites

UP NEXT

Investors Brace for Oil Price Spike, Rush to Havens After US Bombs Iran Nuclear Sites

UP NEXT

Investors React to US Attack on Iran Nuclear Sites

UP NEXT

US B-2 Bombers Involved in Iran Strikes, U.S. Official Says

UP NEXT

Trump Says Iran’s Key Nuclear Sites ‘Obliterated’ by Airstrikes

UP NEXT

Pakistan to Nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

UP NEXT

Nuclear Diplomacy Stuck, Israel Says It Killed Top Iran Commander

UP NEXT

B-2 Bombers Moving to Guam Amid Middle East Tensions, US Officials Say

UP NEXT

Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief

UP NEXT

Amazon’s Prime Day 2025 Levels Up With Four Days of Deals Starting July 8

UP NEXT

Voice of America Parent Terminates Over 600 More Staff in Likely Death Knell

Metallica Thrashes On at Levi’s, Aging Gracefully With Its Fans

35 minutes ago

US Supreme Court Lifts Limits on Deporting Migrants to Countries Not Their Own

44 minutes ago

Searching For Experience, Parlier Hires New City Manager

58 minutes ago

Merced County Wildfire Burns 30 Acres Near Highway 140

2 hours ago

Japanese Leader Joins Regional Allies in Skipping NATO Summit

2 hours ago

US Urges China to Dissuade Iran From Closing Strait of Hormuz

2 hours ago

Fresno County Supervisors to Vote on Dog Breeding Ordinance

2 hours ago

US House Speaker Johnson Says It Is Not Time to Consider War Powers Resolution

3 hours ago

Oil Falls 6% as Iran Focuses Retaliation on US Military Base

3 hours ago

World Central Kitchen Resumes Gaza Operations After Nearly 7-Week Pause

3 hours ago

New York Plans New Advanced Nuclear Power Plant Upstate, Governor Says

NEW YORK – New York plans to build an advanced nuclear plant with the ability to produce at least 1 gigawatt of power, which would be ...

8 minutes ago

New York Governor Kathy Hochul holds a press conference in New York, U.S., March 3, 2025. (Reuters File)
8 minutes ago

New York Plans New Advanced Nuclear Power Plant Upstate, Governor Says

Andrew Biscay, 40, was arrested Friday, June 20, 2025, after deputies found him with a fake U.S. Marshal’s badge, homemade firearm, and law enforcement-style gear during a warrant arrest. (Madera County SO)
27 minutes ago

Madera County Authorities Arrest Man for Impersonating a US Marshal

President Donald Trump delivers an address to the nation at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. June 21, 2025, following U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. (Reuters File)
30 minutes ago

Trump Says Iran Gave US Notice Before Attack on Qatar Military Base

35 minutes ago

Metallica Thrashes On at Levi’s, Aging Gracefully With Its Fans

The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way on Monday for President Donald Trump's administration to resume deporting migrants to countries other than their own without offering them a chance to show harms they could face, handing him another victory in his ag
44 minutes ago

US Supreme Court Lifts Limits on Deporting Migrants to Countries Not Their Own

58 minutes ago

Searching For Experience, Parlier Hires New City Manager

A wildfire broke out Monday, June 23, 2025, in Merced County near Highway 140 and Washington Boulevard has already burned 30 acres. (CalFire)
2 hours ago

Merced County Wildfire Burns 30 Acres Near Highway 140

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba holds a press conference after the G7 Leaders' Summit, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 17, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Japanese Leader Joins Regional Allies in Skipping NATO Summit

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend