MPs to vote on Boris Johnson’s 12 December general election bid
MPs will vote later today on Boris Johnson’s proposed general election date of 12 December.
In order for the motion to pass, two-thirds of MPs (434) need to vote in favour of it under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act (FTPA).
Read more: When will we have a UK general election?
Jeremy Corbyn said that Labour would not support the motion until the threat of a no-deal Brexit had been taken off the table.
However, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP – who have come out in favour of the motion – have made a pact to seek an election on the 9 December instead.
The two parties have proposed a bill that would only require a simple majority – 50 percent – of MPs support to pass.
Speaking on the BBC’s Today Programme, Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson said that the aim was to make it easier for students to vote by holding the general election further from the end of term.
Senior Tories such as party chairman James Cleverly and culture secretary Nicky Morgan dismissed the move as a stunt.
The Prime Minister said that if he won today’s vote, his Brexit bill would continue its progress through Parliament until its dissolution on the 6 November.
This is Johnson’s third attempt at forcing a general election, having lost the first two by a considerable margin.
Elsewhere, a source close to French president Emmanuel Macron said that the EU were “most likely” agree to delay Britain’s departure from the European Union until 31 January.
Envoys from the EU 27 meet in Brussels this morning to discuss the delay.
The source added that Macron, who spoke with Johnson over the weekend, had been reassured that the chances of a general election had improved significantly.
However, any new Brexit delay would come with conditions, including a refusal to renegotiate Johnson’s divorce agreement and giving a green light to the 27 other EU countries to meet without Britain to discuss the bloc’s future.
Read more: This will be much more than a Brexit election
EU diplomats also said that the new Brexit delay would come with the possibility of earlier departure dates, should Parliament ratify the exit deal earlier than expected.
If it did so in November or December, provisions would be made for the UK to have left by the 1st December or the 1st January.
Main image credit – Getty