Boris Johnson fails to get necessary support in Parliament for new election

The U.K. Parliament on Wednesday shot down Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s request for a new election, delivering yet another blow to the new administration at No. 10 Downing St.

The effort for a snap election, which needed two-thirds majority support from the House of Commons, was defeated after 298 members voted for a new election and 56 voted against. Most members of the Labour Party reportedly abstained from the vote.

House of Commons votes against the Prime Minister’s motion for an early general election by 298 to 56.

Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act two thirds of MPs (434) would have had to vote for the motion.
Find out more about the Fixed-term Parliaments Act: https://t.co/C0wSpHXNM6

— UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) September 4, 2019

Johnson had previously opposed holding a new election over the turmoil about his plan to withdraw the U.K. from the European Union by the end of October with or without a deal. However, he reversed Tuesday after Parliament passed a bill allowing members to introduce legislation that would force him to ask the EU for a three-month extension if a deal is not made by Oct. 31, Johnson’s self-imposed deadline.

{mosads}The election vote is the latest in a series of legislative defeats in the last 24 hours for Johnson, who has been prime minister for just six weeks. The House of Commons earlier on Wednesday advanced legislation that would block Johnson from taking the U.K. out of the EU without a deal, with the bill heading to the House of Lords for debate.

Johnson’s Conservative Party also lost its parliamentary majority Tuesday after Phillip Lee, a 27-year veteran of the House of Commons, defected to the Liberal Democrats, specifically citing the prime minister’s push to break with Europe.

Though some members of Parliament were supportive of a new election in theory, many said they wanted to pass legislation firmly blocking a no-deal Brexit first.

The decision over how or if to withdraw the U.K. from the EU has paralyzed the country’s politics for months, leading to the resignations of former Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May and wreaking havoc in Parliament.

Proponents of remaining in the EU claim that the U.K.’s membership helps contribute to continental peace and prosperity, while critics say remaining in the body harms the country’s sovereignty.

Fifty-two percent of British voters supported a referendum in 2016 to leave the EU.