British lawmakers have rejected Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s request for an election before the country’s scheduled departure from the European Union next month. A total of 293 of the 650 House of Commons members backed the proposal — well short of the two-thirds majority needed. Opposition lawmakers voted against the measure or abstained.
Johnson wanted a snap election October 15, just over two weeks before the scheduled October 31 date for Brexit. But opposition parties say they won’t support an election until Britain has secured a delay to the Brexit date, to ensure the country does not crash out of the bloc without a deal.
Parliament has ordered the government to seek an extension if there is no deal by late October, but Johnson is vowing not to seek a delay.
In addition, the House of Commons is demanding the British government to hand over communication among officials about its decision to suspend Parliament and its “no-deal” Brexit plan. Lawmakers passed a motion calling on the U.K. to release, by Wednesday, “formal or informal” emails and text messages between aides and officials relating to the suspension, as well as to the impact of leaving the EU without a deal. Under parliamentary rules, the government is obliged to release the documents.
Also on Monday, the long-time speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, announced his resignation. In a tearful speech, Bercow, who has served as speaker for 10 years, said he would step down by October 31 at the latest. In his resignation speech, he spoke fondly of his time in the role while giving a stark warning to his fellow MPs:
“We degrade this Parliament at our peril,” he told the House of Commons.
Haley Ott contributed to this report.
