A motion from United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson to hold a snap election on October 15 has been defeated in the British House of Commons.
Johnson proposed the motion after a Bill to block a no-deal Brexit was passed on Thursday morning (NZ Time) with the support of many rebel Conservative Party members.
- Boris Johnson stands up to Opposition MPs, snap election on cards
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson calls for snap general election after Brexit defeat
- Boris Johnson loses majority as one of his MPs joins Liberal Democrats in front of him
The votes in support of the motion was 298 while those opposed were 56. Under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, Johnson needed two-thirds support (424 votes) of the 650-seat House to pass the motion. The BBC reports many in the Labour Party abstained from voting.
While the Labour Party supports having a general election, it opposed Johnson's motion as it wants to ensure the legislation blocking a no-deal Brexit was given the Royal Assent before an election. That was unlikely to happen if an election was called for.
"We're ... not going to be tricked or conned by Johnson so we're looking at every way in which, having secured the legislation, he can't wriggle out of abiding by the law and implementing it," Labour Party member John McDonnell said.
Having an election would have allowed Johnson to purge his party of the rebels - who have been told they won't be allowed to stand for the party again - and install loyalists in support of Britain leaving the European Union on October 31 with or without a deal.
He responded to the defeat on Thursday by firstly noting that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn wasn't in his seat - as he hasn't been on several occasions throughout Thursday's events.
"I note that the leader of the Opposition is once again not in his place in what I think is a slightly symbolic way," he said.
Johnson said that Corbyn's strategy of blocking an election was hypocritical after criticising the Prime Minister as being anti-democratic for suspending Parliament from mid-September until mid-October.
"Forty-eight hours ago, he was leading the chant of 'stop the coup, let the people vote', now he is saying 'stop the election and stop the people from voting'.
"I think he has become the first, to my knowledge, the first leader of the Opposition in the democratic history of our country to refuse the invitation to an election.
"I can only speculate as to the reasons behind his hesitation. The obvious conclusion is, I'm afraid, that he does not think he can win."
Recent polling from YouGov found that 41 percent of respondents supporting voting in favour of a general election, while 31 percent opposed it.
It also found that 35 percent of respondents supported the Conservative Party, 25 percent support the Labour Party, 16 percent support the Liberal Democrats, 11 percent support the Brexit Party, and 7 percent support the Greens.
Corbyn didn't appear to speak on Thursday, but tweeted: "When no deal is off the table, once and for all, we should go back to the people in a public vote or a general election to decide our country's fate".
The Bill which passed on Thursday morning states that by October 19, Prime Minister Johnson must either have a withdrawal agreement passed, have MPs pass a motion agreeing to a no-deal Brexit, or write to the European Union requesting an extension to Brexit to January 31, 2020.
It passed 327-299 in its third reading, sending the Bill to the House of Lords.
With Thursday's two votes going against the Government's wishes, as well as a vote on Tuesday to give the Opposition run of Parliament's agenda, Johnson has lost all three votes that have taken place while he has been Prime Minister.
On Wednesday, the Conservative Party also lost its one member majority when Phillip Lee defected to the Liberal Democrats while Johnson was speaking in the House.
Lee said the Conservatives, was "aggressively pursuing a damaging Brexit in unprincipled ways".
"It is putting lives and livelihoods at risk unnecessarily and it is wantonly endangering the integrity of the United Kingdom."
"More widely, it is undermining our country's economy, democracy and role in the world. It is using political manipulation, bullying and lies. And it is doing these things in a deliberate and considered way."
No-deal Brexit effect on New Zealand
A no-deal Brexit would cause significant uncertainty for Kiwi exporters. The UK is one of New Zealand's largest export markets, meaning Brexit will have massive implications for Aotearoa.
While a transition period would be enacted if the UK left the EU with a deal, allowing countries to establish new agreements with the UK and EU, a no-deal situation would have sudden effect.
"A no-deal Brexit would likely increase the costs and procurement times of New Zealand exports, reducing demand for these products," said IBISWorld senior industry analyst Liam Harrison in April.
"In event of a no-deal Brexit, the UK reverts to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules regarding trade, which would force the UK to place tariffs and quotas on certain products."
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand does have several agreements and continuity arrangements in place to ensure continuity in some trading conditions between New Zealand and the UK, especially in the case of a no-deal exit.
But New Zealand Trade Enterprise has also released information on how businesses can prepare themselves for when Brexit arrives.
Newshub.
