Dependent on the opposition Labour’s votes to trigger a mid-term poll, Prime Minister Boris Johnson presents the picture of a man ‘cornered’ – as the British press portrays him – with the opposition keen to determine the date of the election.
Johnson, whose brother Jo Johnson resigned on Thursday on the issue of his controversial Brexit policy, leads a minority government with little control over parliamentary agenda. He is keen to have the election on October 15, before the October 31 Brexit deadline.
A two-thirds majority is needed to trigger an election under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act 2011. Johnson brought a motion under the act on Wednesday in the House of Commons, but it was defeated overwhelmingly. He intends to introduce it again on Monday.
Labour’s stance was set out on Friday by shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry: “The problem that we have is that the motion that the government has put before, and it looks like will put again…if we vote to have a general election, then no matter what it is that Boris Johnson promises, it is up to him to advise the Queen when the general election should be”.
And given that he has shown himself to be a manifest liar, and someone who has said that he will die in a ditch rather than stop no-deal (Brexit)…our first priority has to be that we must stop no deal and we must make sure that that is going to happen”.On Friday, the House of Lords is due to debate on the bill passed by the House of Commons this week on prohibiting the government from leaving the EU on October 31 without an agreement. It is expected to receive royal assent on Monday.
However, opposition leaders have expressed lack of trust in Johnson obeying the law even after the bill enters the statue book. They want the government to seek an extension from Brussels to the October 31 Brexit date before considering support to the motion to trigger the election.
Ian Blackford, leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party (the third largest in the House), reflected the opposition position: “Boris Johnson doesn’t have a majority in parliament so the idea that he is coming with a motion to try and force an election having lost one this week is insane”.
“He is not going to compel parliamentarians to give him a mandate to determine the timing – we don’t trust him. We’ll determine the timing of this, not Boris Johnson”.
Meanwhile, a legal challenge brought by Indian-origin campaigner Gina Miller against Johnson’s decision to prorogue parliament was rejected in the England high court on Friday.