How MPs voted on whether to call an election

Tonight all the MPs who have been demanding an election for months and who were describing last week's action to prorogue parliament for five weeks over the conference season had the opportunity to put the matter to the people and call an election.

The very people who have been calling most loudly for an election abstained rather than vote for one.

Here is how the House of Commons divided on the proposal for an election, which needed a two-thirds majority of the House to positively vote for it (an abstention for this purpose is functionally  identical to a vote against.)



Some of those who voted against or did not vote said that they were concerned that the government might set the date of the election after 31st October and thereby cause Britain to crash out without a deal by default.

There is almost certainly an answer to that.

If I were Boris Johnson I would propose a very short bill which suspends the Fixed Term Parliament Act to call one election, and writes into law that that election would be held on 15th October.

That way there would be no question of the election date being moved to sabotage any possibility of a deal; and the election would take place a couple of days before the next EU summit so we would have a new or re-elected government in place which would have the opportunity to attend that summit and try to get an acceptable deal.

It will be interesting to see how MPs vote if such a proposal comes forward.

Comments

Jim said…
I think the rules should be amended so its a 2 thirds majority of those who voted. At least that way you have to vote against, and it does not take into account the automatic abstainers such as the 7 Sinn Féin MPs.
Jim said…
If mondays plan fails. Then it's possible to force an election. The government simply has to motion it's own vote of no confidence, strange way of doing things maybe. But Boris would gain a lot of support from a public who are sick to death of Brexit and just want it to be delivered. This idea I think will tie in with his 'dead in a ditch' comment. The opposition pRies are divided so I dont think a coalition could work there. Lib dem seem to want to revoke article 50. Labour are now floating with 2nd referendum, which wont go down well in a lot of its northern strongholds.
Bit of a strange idea I know, but these are strange times.
Anonymous said…
Perhaps if Boris were found 'dead in a ditch' might help
Jim said…
Thanks for your helpful input. Another option would be for Boris to resign, he does not need to resign as Conservative Ldr, only as PM. Then he goes to see the queen and asks her to find someone else for the job. This realistically leaves her with Corbyn, Swinson or possibly one of the 21 rebels recently expelled (suspect Clarke).

For above "dunno what we want" reasons then this coalition cant last long. All the "acting" PM could realistically do is go and beg Brussels for an article 50 extension, something that is far from guaranteed, Macron will need a lot of persuasion, and Merkel is getting sick of it dragging on. Even if it is granted it will come with conditions, namely to hold a GE or another referendum. So, following begging cap in hand to the EU, all they could really do is call a GE. Public view - Boris now has his strong card again, even though we did not leave on 31 Oct, he done all he could to make it happen it was the other idiots who kept messing things up

With a loyal tory majority then brexit can be delivered, and a deal can be negotiated without clowns ruining negotiating positions.
Chris Whiteside said…
We shall see. As far as I am concerned the government has to obey the law, but there are a few cards to play yet.
Jim said…
neither plan I have suggested is breaking the law

Chris Whiteside said…
Boris certainly would not be breaking the law if he resigned rather than ask for an extension, though if a deal was not agreed at the EU summit, whoever then became PM would be breaking the law unless he or she did.

Engineering the loss of a vote of No Confidence so that an election is caused could potentially be a way round it, but the timing is now extremely difficult.

You're quite right about much of the EU being utterly fed up with us and the French government is threatening that if the British do ask for an extension they may well veto it.

There is one way of leaving on the 31st October without breaking the law as drafted which definitely does work - and that's agreeing a deal at the EU summit. I get the impression that this is precisely what the new law was intended by at least some of the people who drafted it to force Boris to try to do.

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