Boris Johnson has won his bid for an early general election to “get Brexit done” with MPs voting emphatically for a December poll. The prime minister’s victory comes less than 24 hours after MPs voted against having a general election on December 12 – the first Christmas vote since 1923 and first winter election since […]
Continue Reading
Boris Johnson’s proposed election on the 12 December failed yesterday to gain sufficient support from MPs. The motion attracted 299 votes in favour with 70 against, and thus did not secure the two-thirds majority of the house (434 votes) required under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act. While all Conservative MPs voted for the motion, it only […]
Continue Reading
The European Union has given the UK a three month Brexit “flextension” until January 31 in order to try and get a deal through parliament. The extension comes as MPs prepare to vote today on whether to back the prime minister’s plans for a general election before Christmas. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council […]
Continue Reading
Chinese state media said the “UK must bear responsibility” for the deaths of 39 people discovered in a lorry in England, according to the Guardian. An editorial in the China-based Global Times criticised the UK for not preventing a repeat of the Dover port tragedy when 58 Chinese were discovered suffocated to death in a […]
Continue Reading
At the end of another tumultuous week in Brexit politics, the EU has decided to delay its decision on a Brexit extension. The bloc wants clarity from Westminster before granting either a long extension favoured by those opposed to a hard Brexit or a short extension pleasing the Brexiteers. In a further roll of the […]
Continue Reading
The bodies of 39 people found in a lorry in Essex was described as “an evil contempt for human life” at Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons today. MPs were united in paying tribute to the emergency workers dealing with the gruesome discovery but clashed again over Brexit and the timetable for debating the government’s […]
Continue Reading
On Monday, campaigners for same-sex marriage and the abortion law change reaped the rewards of decades of campaigning. Despite attempts by the DUP to block its passing, the much-anticipated, abortion and same sex marriage law change took effect. From January onward, gay couples can enjoy the same rights and privileges as straight couples. However, GPs […]
Continue Reading
Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow has blocked MPs voting on the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal, ruling “it would be repetitive and disorderly to do so.” The government had sought a “yes” or “no” vote on Boris Johnson’s new deal but Bercow said doing so would break long standing parliamentary conventions given MPs […]
Continue Reading
Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched through London on Saturday demanding a People’s Vote on Brexit while inside the House of Commons, MPs delayed their decision once again. The Commons did not say “no” to the Prime Minister’s deal on so-called Super Saturday, instead it was effectively “not yet”, as they voted instead to pass […]
Continue Reading
Tomorrow at a special sitting in the House of Commons, MPs will get a chance to vote on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. What few believed achievable or even desirable came about yesterday, an agreement between Boris Johnson’s Tory government and the EU. Even among his supporters, many doubted his ability and willingness to strike a […]
Continue Reading