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Boris Johnson loses Parliamentary majority, faces Brexit showdown
Britain's Parliament returns from its summer recess and is facing a titanic showdown over Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plans to leave the European Union. Here's what we know:
● Johnson has lost his majority in Parliament, with the defection of Conservative Phillip Lee to the Liberal Democrats.
● The opposition, including members of Johnson's party, is seeking to pass legislation to delay Brexit.
● Johnson has said that if his foes succeed he will call early elections.
List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom by length of tenure
#54: George Canning, 119 days (1827)
#55: Boris Johnson, 40 days (Incumbent) (2019)
See also: Brexit: Tory MP defects ahead of crucial no-deal vote
How Brexit Blew Up Britain's Constitution
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 04 2019, @04:25AM (15 children)
UK people or experts, check me on this: doesn't he need a 2/3 vote of Parliament to call elections?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by juggs on Wednesday September 04 2019, @04:38AM (11 children)
Correct. 2/3 majority required for the PM to call for it or simple majority in case of no confidence.
ref
https://www.parliament.uk/education/about-your-parliament/general-elections/ [parliament.uk]
Given how the UK politicians seem to be delighting in doing anything other than getting on with the job at hand it would likely be a successful motion. That gives them some time to not get on with the job at hand by faffing about grandstanding for a month or so in an election run up.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday September 04 2019, @04:43AM
Seems to me that if they do neither of the two but just continue to grandstand for the whole term, the time to not get on with the job at hand is maximized.
Just sayin'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by Arik on Wednesday September 04 2019, @08:13AM (9 children)
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Wednesday September 04 2019, @08:23AM (7 children)
Isn't that usually called a resignation?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 1) by Arik on Wednesday September 04 2019, @08:27AM
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2, Informative) by Arik on Wednesday September 04 2019, @08:31AM (5 children)
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Wednesday September 04 2019, @09:39AM (4 children)
Fascinating. The Act empowers minor parties and scrambles hundreds of years of tradition.
Boris may have misjudged how attached some of his party are to being Tories.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by Arik on Wednesday September 04 2019, @09:45AM (3 children)
(What deep ancestral memories that word brings.)
Tories might have an option to put forward another PM. Unlikely, as I see it, Boris got it because everyone else was afraid of it. Maybe I'm wrong.
If they decline... someone has to form a viable government, which requires (correct me if I'm wrong) a majority in parliament PLUS the Queens invitation.
Which she'll probably give to anyone that looks like they have a viable government, but still, WHO could possibly do that at this point?
If there's no viable government it would seem there's really no choice but to call new elections until there is. That's the Parliamentary system right?
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 4, Insightful) by MostCynical on Wednesday September 04 2019, @12:07PM (2 children)
The EU wanted to make it hard for the UK to leave, as an eample to other members, but no one knew how hard they'd make it themselves.
Vote, vote, vote again.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 05 2019, @03:16AM (1 child)
The Brits never even showed up for negotiations - 2 Brexit ministers quit after showboating and doing nothing for 2 years. The whole thing has been an internal (within the Tory party) game of one-up-manship. The same kind of pricks who were Generals in WW1 have been the UK Government since Cameron accidentally won a majority in 2016.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Thursday September 05 2019, @04:13AM
Seems none of the involved parties is negotiating in good faith.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 04 2019, @02:23PM
Yes, but doing so *doesn't* trigger a general election. Instead, it triggers a two-week period in which anyone else can try to form a government. The danger for a minority government doing this is that they may end up with another party leading a coalition, rather than a general election.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 04 2019, @04:43AM (2 children)
He does. Jeremy Corbyn says he will allow elections to be called, but only with a guarantee that there will not be a no-deal Brexit. So, that's probably not happening soon. Normally there'd be a no-confidence vote at this point, but since the Queen has suspended Parliament, there's perhaps not enough time, unless it can happen before September 9.
The situation is very, very strange.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Mainframe Bloke on Wednesday September 04 2019, @04:45AM (1 child)
There is a small possibility of a different route:
I read on the BBC that he (or whoever follows him if he's gone soon) can submit a bill to have an election on a specific date, in which case only a simple majority is needed.
From https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46393399: [bbc.com] [bbc.com]
"Theoretically, there is another way he could achieve his goal. A short new law specifying the date of an early general election would require only a simple majority and not need two-thirds of MPs."
Either way, I reckon he's toast but I don't get a vote...
(Score: 1) by Arik on Wednesday September 04 2019, @08:22AM
Another possibility is that he could simply resign. In that case, if my memory serves, the Queen would then call upon the opposition to form a new government with the same results if they fail to do so.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?