UK PM Boris Johnson suffers triple defeat on Brexit

LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday called for parliament to vote in favour of holding early elections after Member of Parliament (MP) dealing with a major blow against his Brexit defeat.

Supporters of Boris Johnson ended a night-long filibuster in the upper House of Lords when the government gave up trying to block a measure designed to stop a no-deal Brexit by forcing Johnson to seek a delay if he fails to reach an agreement with Brussels.

The opposition said they should now be able to pass the bill which he has branded a surrender document before he suspends parliament for over a month next week.

The main opposition Labour Party said, “Government commits to allow the draft legislation to complete all stages in course of Thursday and Friday with the bill then going back to the Commons for any further consideration on Monday.”

The lower House of Commons fast-tracked the legislation on Wednesday and then blocked Johnson’s call for an early election that he wants to be held on 15th October.

Labour said that it would only back the snap poll once it makes sure Johnson is unable to follow through on his threat to take Britain out of the EU with no deal by the 31st October Brexit deadline.

Parliament has now dealt Johnson a rapid series of stinging defeats that have left him a weakened leader just six weeks into his term.

The splintered country still stands no closer to finding out how or when or even if it will leave the European Union more than three years after the original Brexit vote.

Johnson will also face another legal challenge on Thursday against his decision to order the suspension of parliament from next week until 14th October.

It has set the stage for the current furore in Westminster that Johnson tried to stamp out by expelling 21 of its own MPs for voting with the opposition.

They included former finance minister Philip Hammond and grandee Ken Clarke the longest-serving MP along with Winston Churchill’s grandson Nicholas Soames.