UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday failed to force a snap election amid the growing crisis over Brexit — before preparing to suspend Parliament for more than a month.
The move came hours after the Queen gave her royal thumbs up to a law that would force him to delay pulling Britain out of the European Union until 2020 unless he can strike a divorce deal.
“If you really want to delay Brexit beyond October the 31st, which is what you seem to want to do, then vote for an election and let the people decide if they want a delay or not,” Johnson told Members of Parliament as he implored them to call an election.
“And if you refuse to do that tonight, I will go to Brussels and negotiate our departure, hopefully with a deal, but without one if necessary. I will not ask for another delay.”
But Johnson failed to secure the two-thirds of Parliament needed to trigger an election, with many members abstaining from the vote.
“This government is a disgrace, and the way the prime minister operates is a disgrace,” Labour Party head Jeremy Corbyn fumed after the vote.
The prime minister then said he planned to suspend Parliament until Oct. 14.
It has been three years since 52 percent of voters backed Brexit in a 2016 referendum, and since taking over as PM in July, Johnson has vowed to finally follow through by Oct. 31 — with or without a deal.
But the law rubber stamped by the queen Monday — passed last week by opponents and rebels within Johnson’s own party — will require him to seek a three-month extension to the deadline unless Parliament has approved a deal by Oct. 19 or consented to leave without one.
Ireland’s leader told Johnson on Monday that he must make specific proposals on the future of the Irish border if there is to be any hope of averting a no-deal Brexit, saying Dublin cannot rely on simple promises.
“In the absence of agreed alternative arrangements, no backstop is no deal for us,” said Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.
With Post wires