This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/oct/28/boris-johnsons-election-vote-looms-as-eu-decides-on-brexit-delay-politics-live
The article has changed 21 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 14 | Version 15 |
|---|---|
| Brexit: Boris Johnson says he will table new bill for 12 December election after losing vote – live news | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Jeremy Corbyn says Labour will look at the bill and scrutinise it. He says Labour wants a definite statement about no deal being off the table. He says this must be clear, because the PM has “some form” for not keeping his word. | |
| Boris Johnson makes a point of order. | |
| People will find Jeremy Corbyn’s stance “bewildering”. | |
| Johnson says tonight the government will give notice of its plans for a short bill for a general election on Thursday 12 December. | |
| Johnson says he will legislate for an early election. A bill will not be subject to a super-majority, and with the Lib Dems and the SNP potentially supporting the government (although they want a different date), Johnson has a good chance of winning. | |
| MPs have backed the motion by 299 votes to 70 - leaving Boris Johnson 135 votes short of the votes he needed for this division to have force. | |
| Reading out the result, John Bercow says this technically means “the noes have it”. | |
| From the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg | |
| Sounds like govt will put bill down straight away if they lose the vote happening at the moment, and will stick to their date of having an election on December 12th - opposition parties will want to look at that 'near identical' wording v v carefully before pledging support | |
| Boris Johnson’s first attempt to call an early election using the Fixed-term Parliaments Act super-majority procedure was on 4 September. The motion was passed by 298 votes to 56 - leaving Johnson 136 votes short of the target he needed. | |
| And the second attempt was on 9 September. That motion was passed by 293 votes to 46 - leaving Johnson 141 votes short. | |
| MPs are now voting. Here is the text of the motion: | |
| That there shall be an early parliamentary general election. | |
| For the motion to pass and have effect, it needs to be backed by two-thirds or more of all MPs – 434. No one expects it to clear that hurdle. | |
| What we are really waiting for is not the result, but what Boris Johnson says once it is over. He is expected to use a point of order to make an announcement about what the government will do next. | |
| Mike Gapes, the former Labour MP who now sits for the Independent Group for Change, told MPs that internet campaigning would not be properly regulated in any election held in the next few weeks. His group is opposed to an early election. | |
| From ITV’s Robert Peston | |
| Three things. 1) Government may need to go for 12 Dec election because has to pass NI budget this week to keep schools and public services in province open, and LibDem’s 9 Dec would not give enough time before dissolution to pass that budget. 2) The PM will... | |
| decide in just a few minutes that he cannot restart debate on his Brexit law, the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, before an election. He gave Labour and rebel Tory MPs till 6 to give him a pledge they would support the bill on truncated timetable. No sign of them doing that. And... | |
| 3) there has been concern that any December election would be hugely difficult for campaigners, because new electoral roll is set to be introduced 4 December. However I am told Cabinet Office would take steps to speed up publication of new electoral roll | |
| From the Times’ Steven Swinford | |
| Ministers are concerned that if they agree to Dec 9th election it will have just *three days* to get royal assent Whips don't think it's possible to get one-line bill through in that time, especially if there's filibustering in the LordsHence tortuous negotiations over date | |
| I’ve updated some of the earlier posts from the opening of the debate with direct quotes. But to see the updates, you may need to refresh the page. | |
| The DUP’s Brexit spokesman, Sammy Wilson, is speaking now. He says what is on offer is not Brexit for the whole of the UK, because it leaves Northern Ireland in the single market. | The DUP’s Brexit spokesman, Sammy Wilson, is speaking now. He says what is on offer is not Brexit for the whole of the UK, because it leaves Northern Ireland in the single market. |
| He describes the PM’s deal as a “death deal to the union”. | He describes the PM’s deal as a “death deal to the union”. |
| Jo Swinson, the Lib Dem leader, has just finished speaking now. She said that she wanted a second referendum but did not believe there was a majority for it in the Commons. That is why she wanted an early election, she said. She argued that this provided the best chance of stopping Brexit. | Jo Swinson, the Lib Dem leader, has just finished speaking now. She said that she wanted a second referendum but did not believe there was a majority for it in the Commons. That is why she wanted an early election, she said. She argued that this provided the best chance of stopping Brexit. |
| Anna Soubry, the former Tory MP who now leads the Independent Group for Change, intervened. She said she thought there was now a majority in the Commons for a confirmatory referendum. Swinson did not accept this. | Anna Soubry, the former Tory MP who now leads the Independent Group for Change, intervened. She said she thought there was now a majority in the Commons for a confirmatory referendum. Swinson did not accept this. |
| Like Blackford, Swinson also defends giving 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote - but without making it a precondition for backing an early election. | Like Blackford, Swinson also defends giving 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote - but without making it a precondition for backing an early election. |
| Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, told MPs that his party would not back the motion for a December 12 election but would support efforts for a December 9 poll. | Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, told MPs that his party would not back the motion for a December 12 election but would support efforts for a December 9 poll. |
| If we enable this motion to pass, we will be out [of the EU] before the prime minister’s election. We cannot allow the Prime Minister to railroad through this disastrous so-called deal. | If we enable this motion to pass, we will be out [of the EU] before the prime minister’s election. We cannot allow the Prime Minister to railroad through this disastrous so-called deal. |
| We will support the Liberal Democrats’ proposals for an election before Brexit can happen, with no reintroduction of the withdrawal agreement bill. | We will support the Liberal Democrats’ proposals for an election before Brexit can happen, with no reintroduction of the withdrawal agreement bill. |
| Because given the way that some Labour MPs voted we cannot trust Labour to block the Bill in future. | Because given the way that some Labour MPs voted we cannot trust Labour to block the Bill in future. |
| Asked by the Tory Brexiter Iain Duncan Smith if the SNP would insist on amending an early election bill to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote, Blackford said his party favoured this because it was the right thing to do. (In Scotland 16 and 17-year-olds were given the vote for the 2014 independence referendum, and subsequently they were allowed to vote in elections to the Scottish parliament and for local government.) But Blackford did not appear to insist on this as a red line. | Asked by the Tory Brexiter Iain Duncan Smith if the SNP would insist on amending an early election bill to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote, Blackford said his party favoured this because it was the right thing to do. (In Scotland 16 and 17-year-olds were given the vote for the 2014 independence referendum, and subsequently they were allowed to vote in elections to the Scottish parliament and for local government.) But Blackford did not appear to insist on this as a red line. |
| From RTE’s Tony Connelly on Boris Johnson’s letter to Donald Tusk. | From RTE’s Tony Connelly on Boris Johnson’s letter to Donald Tusk. |
| Boris Johnson’s letter to @eucopresident Donald Tusk accepting the Jan 31 extension. Note no reference to the EU’s reminder that the UK is obliged to appoint a Commissioner pic.twitter.com/hP9M2i8EoU | Boris Johnson’s letter to @eucopresident Donald Tusk accepting the Jan 31 extension. Note no reference to the EU’s reminder that the UK is obliged to appoint a Commissioner pic.twitter.com/hP9M2i8EoU |
| This is what Jeremy Corbyn said about the conditions that would need to be apply for Labour to back an early election. He said: | This is what Jeremy Corbyn said about the conditions that would need to be apply for Labour to back an early election. He said: |
| Many of us are very cautious of believing anything the prime minister said. We want it tied down before we agree to anything. | Many of us are very cautious of believing anything the prime minister said. We want it tied down before we agree to anything. |
| The 12 December election is less than a fortnight before Christmas, nine days before the shortest day of the year. The house must consider that in parts of this country it will be dark before 4pm. Many students will have just finished their term and gone home for Christmas ... and they risk being disenfranchised ... | The 12 December election is less than a fortnight before Christmas, nine days before the shortest day of the year. The house must consider that in parts of this country it will be dark before 4pm. Many students will have just finished their term and gone home for Christmas ... and they risk being disenfranchised ... |
| As I was saying about students and their opportunity to vote on the dates in question, the latter point may not be the case on the 9 December and we will consider carefully any legislation proposed that locks in the date. | As I was saying about students and their opportunity to vote on the dates in question, the latter point may not be the case on the 9 December and we will consider carefully any legislation proposed that locks in the date. |
| The theme of this is we don’t trust the prime minister. We want something that definitely and definitively takes no deal off the table and ensures that the voting rights of all of our citizens are protected ... | The theme of this is we don’t trust the prime minister. We want something that definitely and definitively takes no deal off the table and ensures that the voting rights of all of our citizens are protected ... |
| We agree that an early election is necessary. But also seek good reason, since no general election has been held in December since 1923 ... | We agree that an early election is necessary. But also seek good reason, since no general election has been held in December since 1923 ... |
| When no deal is off the table, when the date for an election can be fixed in law, and when we can ensure that students are not being disenfranchised, we will back an election so this country can get the government it needs. | When no deal is off the table, when the date for an election can be fixed in law, and when we can ensure that students are not being disenfranchised, we will back an election so this country can get the government it needs. |
| And here are the main points. | And here are the main points. |
| Corbyn appeared to rule out accepting an early election on Thursday 12 December, the government’s preferred date. He suggested this would lead to students being disenfranchised. | Corbyn appeared to rule out accepting an early election on Thursday 12 December, the government’s preferred date. He suggested this would lead to students being disenfranchised. |
| But he suggested that Labour could back on early election taking place on Monday 9 December (the date proposed by the Lib Dems and the SNP). But the date would have to be set in law, he said (something that would happen if MPs passed an amendment to the Fixed-term Parliament’s Act for an early election, but not if MPs used a FTPA super-majority vote to trigger one - because that mechanism would allow the PM to decide the election date.) | But he suggested that Labour could back on early election taking place on Monday 9 December (the date proposed by the Lib Dems and the SNP). But the date would have to be set in law, he said (something that would happen if MPs passed an amendment to the Fixed-term Parliament’s Act for an early election, but not if MPs used a FTPA super-majority vote to trigger one - because that mechanism would allow the PM to decide the election date.) |
| Labour sources are saying it would be a mistake to take Corbyn’s words as implying that he favours an election in early January. (See 5.48pm.) That would involve the election campaign taking place over the Christmas holidays - something that would probably be as popular with voters as the plague. | Labour sources are saying it would be a mistake to take Corbyn’s words as implying that he favours an election in early January. (See 5.48pm.) That would involve the election campaign taking place over the Christmas holidays - something that would probably be as popular with voters as the plague. |
| Journalists are split over the precise implications of Corbyn’s words. | Journalists are split over the precise implications of Corbyn’s words. |
| This is from the BBC’s Iain Watson. | This is from the BBC’s Iain Watson. |
| And @jeremycorbyn says a Dec 12 election will be after many students have finished term and the right to vote is important - this doesnt apply to Dec 9th the #snp and @libdems date | And @jeremycorbyn says a Dec 12 election will be after many students have finished term and the right to vote is important - this doesnt apply to Dec 9th the #snp and @libdems date |
| And this is from HuffPost’s Paul Waugh. | And this is from HuffPost’s Paul Waugh. |
| Pretty clear from Corbyn that he wont ever enable a December general election. Talks of students not disenfranchised as new test...suggests to me earliest election he would back will be 2nd week of January | Pretty clear from Corbyn that he wont ever enable a December general election. Talks of students not disenfranchised as new test...suggests to me earliest election he would back will be 2nd week of January |
| I will post the exact quotes in a moment so that you are better able to judge who’s right. | I will post the exact quotes in a moment so that you are better able to judge who’s right. |