December poll to break Brexit impasse

By Gavin Cordon, HarrietLine, and Sam Blewett

The UK is on course for a pre-Christmas general election after MPs agreed to go to the country in an attempt to end the Brexit deadlock.

The Commons voted by 438 to 20 at third reading to approve the one-page bill enabling the election to be held on December 12.

Earlier, MPs voted by 315 to 295 to reject a Labour amendment for the proposed polling day to be moved to December 9, which was three days earlier than Tory ministers wanted.

The vote effectively clears the way for parliament to be dissolved on November 6, paving the way for an election on December 12.

Addressing Tory MPs afterwards at Westminster, prime minister Boris Johnson said he was prepared for a “tough” election fight in the weeks ahead.

“I think it’s time for the country to come together, get Brexit done and go forward,” he said.

“It’ll be a tough election and we are going to do the best we can.”

The opposition parties had wanted to bring forward polling day to cut off any possibility Mr Johnson could make a fresh attempt to ram through his Brexit deal before parliament is dissolved.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “This election is a once-in-a-generation chance to transform our country and take on the vested interests holding people back.”

The breakthrough followed the announcement by the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party that they would support an election if they could be sure Mr Johnson would not reintroduce the Withdrawal Agreement Bill to ratify his Brexit deal.

Following a meeting of the shadow cabinet, Mr Corbyn said their condition that a no-deal-Brexit was taken “off the table” had finally been met after the EU agreed to another extension to the end of January.

Jeremy Corbyn.

“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,” he said.

“We will now launch the most ambitious and radical campaign for real change our country has ever seen.”

Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson confirmed her party would campaign on a platform to halt the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

“It is our best chance to elect a government to stop Brexit,” she said. “The Liberal Democrats are the strongest party of Remain and will be standing on a manifesto to stop Brexit by revoking Article 50.”