UK likely to go to polls in December as Opposition Labour Party agrees with PM’s plan
The British Parliament will vote on Tuesday to decide the dates.
The United Kingdom may head for elections in December as the main Opposition Labour Party said on Tuesday that it would support Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan for an early general election.
“I have consistently said that we are ready for an election and our support is subject to a ‘no deal’ Brexit being off the table,” Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said, according to AFP.
The European Council on Monday agreed to extend the exit of the UK from the bloc till January 31. This decision meant that “for the next three months, our condition of taking ‘no deal’ off the table has now been met”, Corbyn said. “We will now launch the most ambitious and radical campaign for real change our country has ever seen,” he said.
Boris Johnson had called for an election on December 12, but Labour and other parties have their eyes on a date closer to December 9. The British Parliament will vote on Tuesday to decide the dates.
European Council President Donald Tusk said on Monday that the European Union would allow for “flextension” – meaning Brexit could take place before the deadline if the British Parliament approved a deal. “The decision is expected to be formalised through a written procedure,” Tusk tweeted.
If the MPs vote to allow an early election in December, Brexit could take place sooner than January 31.
On October 23, Johnson received a setback after the Parliament approved his Brexit withdrawal plan in principle, and, minutes later, rejected his second bill that would have fast-tracked the necessary legislation in time for the October 31 deadline. Following this, Donald Tusk had recommended that the leaders of the remaining 27 member states approve the delay. Britain and the European Union signed a new Brexit deal on October 17.
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