UK Parliament Rejects PM Johnson’s Early Election, Now What?

After an hour of to- and fro-ing, jeering and yelling, guffawing and gaslighting, the UK parliament has finally voted on PM Johnson’s request for an early election on October 15th.

BoJo reiterated that he’s prepared to leave the European Union without an agreement if necessary, and that he “will not ask for another delay,” enraging opposition lawmakers, who complain he’s refusing to acknowledge the legislation that passed into law earlier blocking a no-deal Brexit on Oct. 31.

Johnson lambasted the Labour Party for “preposterous cowardice” for not voting for the early election.

Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn responded to Johnson’s statement by accusing the prime minister of pursuing a no-deal Brexit with no mandate to do so, and calling the government’s negotiations with the European Union a “sham.”

And Liberal Democrats leader Jo Swinson said her party would revoke Article 50 – keeping the U.K. in the European Union – if it was elected to government.

It was raucous to say the least.

This is parliament at its sickening worst

From Tory benches, the braying & bullying, the shouting & jeering is just disgusting

This isn’t a game – it’s about real people’s real lives, about the rule of law & about democracy

If you’re watching at home, I can only apologise

— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) September 9, 2019

But, after all the bluster, as expected, MPs voted against the early election. He needed two-thirds of MPs – 434 of them – to vote for this but only 293 agreed (notably less that last week when he got 298), with 46 voting against and the rest abstaining.