UK: British PM Boris Johnson loses parliamentary majority ahead of Brexit vote
Phillip Lee resigned as a Conservative MP and joined Liberal Democrats, saying that it was ‘no longer possible to serve’ his constituents with the party.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday lost his working parliamentary majority before the Brexit vote after Conservative MP Phillip Lee switched sides to the pro-European Union side of the Liberal Democrats. Johnson had promised to leave the European Union on October 31 with or without a deal, but several leaders across party lines united against it.
“The Liberal Democrats are delighted to announce that Bracknell MP Phillip Lee has joined the party,” the party said in a statement.
In a letter to Johnson, Lee resigned from his membership in the Conservative Party. “After a great deal of thought, I have reached the conclusion that it is no longer possible to serve my constituents’ and country’s best interests as a Conservative Member of Parliament,” the leader tweeted.
Lee took a seat on the side of the Opposition members as the prime minister addressed the House of Commons. Several members of Opposition parties also submitted a motion for emergency deliberations to Commons Speaker John Bercow. If they are successful, they will attempt to push a bill that would force Johnson to ask for the Brexit to be delayed until January 31 unless the MPs support a new deal or vote in favour of a no-deal by October 19, according to BBC.
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