British parliament on Tuesday witnessed quite dramatic events as Prime Minister Boris Johnson lost his working majority in the parliament as Conservative MP Phillip Lee crossed over during a LIVE debate over the Brexit row.
Conservative MP Phillip Lee left the treasury bench and occupied a seat alongside Liberal Democrats. Lee later said that the Johnson-led government was ‘pursuing a damaging Brexit in unprincipled ways… putting lives and livelihoods at risk.’
What has angered Conservative MPs is their prime minister’s determination to leave the European Union on 31 October with or without a deal. Several MPs from the ruling party have joined hands with opposition MPs to stop Johnson from parting ways with the EU without a deal.
Meanwhile, Johnson lost his first vote in the parliament after 328 MPs voted in favour of taking control of the parliament as opposed to 301 votes received by the British PM. After MPs backed a bid to take over the Commons agenda in order to pass legislation blocking a no-deal Brexit Boris Johnson said, “I don’t want an election but if MPs vote tomorrow to stop negotiations… then that would be the only way to resolve this.”
Speaking in parliament after losing his first vote, Johnson says he will ask MPs to approve an early general election, if they vote on Wednesday to block a no-deal Brexit. The Conservative party has also expelled 21 MPs from the party for voting against the PM.
Johnson, for his part, said that agreeing to the rebel MPs’ demand would mean he going to Brussels to ‘beg for another pointless delay’ on Brexit and he was not prepared to do that. “It is Jeremy Corbyn’s surrender bill. It means running up the white flag,” Johnson said in the parliament.
Experts say that Johnson may go for fresh elections if he’s stopped from achieving a no-deal Brexit. According to Sky News, Boris Johnson’s political spokesman said that the PM was clear that the government was treating the no-deal legislation vote as a confidence vote.
Last month, Johnson had recommended the unprecedented suspension of parliament allegedly to stop MPs from stopping his move on a no-deal Brexit.
