Johnson’s Government Loses Majority Ahead of Crucial Brexit Vote
Johnson's U.K. Government Loses Majority as Brexit Crisis Grows
(Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson lost his government’s ruling majority ahead of a critical showdown with members of Parliament, as the Brexit crisis pushed the U.K. closer toward a snap election.
The prime minister is battling political opponents who are determined to wreck his plan to deliver Brexit at all costs by Oct. 31, with the first parliamentary vote in the clash expected around 10 p.m Tuesday night. If he loses, Johnson’s officials have said he will set in motion preparations for a poll to elect a new government on Oct. 14.
The premier’s chances of success were dealt a blow when one of his Conservative Party members of Parliament, Phillip Lee, dramatically defected to join the rival Liberal Democrats as Johnson got to his feet to speak in the House of Commons.
Lee blamed his decision on the “bullying and lies” of Johnson’s government, which he said was “aggressively pursuing a damaging Brexit in unprincipled ways.”
“I don’t expect to be the last person to make this decision,” Lee said in an interview with Sky News. “I haven’t left my party. My party has left me.” The pound reclaimed $1.21 after dropping below $1.20 for the first time since 2017.
Likely Defeat
For Johnson, losing his majority in Parliament jeopardizes his ability to stay in power. Theoretically, he can only be prime minister if he can command a majority and he’s now at greater risk of losing a vote of no-confidence, that could bring about his downfall.
In reality, Johnson is likely to survive at least a little longer. There are 20 independent members of Parliament, many of whom would be reluctant to oust Johnson and trigger an election that the opposition Labour Party might win.
Johnson has been leading the country for only six weeks and already faces being forced to push for an election himself. He is fighting to keep his promise to leave the European Union by Oct. 31 -- with or without a deal -- alive.
The premier is on course to suffer another humiliating defeat on Tuesday night, with his political enemies poised to strip him of his power to control proceedings in the House of Commons.
What Next
If they succeed, Johnson’s opponents will then seek to pass their own law on Wednesday forcing him to delay Brexit by another three months to avoid a no-deal split on Oct. 31. The prime minister has said he will never do this.
Instead, Johnson stands ready to try to trigger a snap election and will put forward a motion to pave the way for a poll. That motion would likely be voted on later on Wednesday.
In public, Johnson insists he still wants a deal and progress is being made. But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and rebel Tory MPs intent on imposing another delay to the Brexit negotiating timetable could wreck his chances, he said.
In Brussels, EU officials think the EU is being used by Johnson so that he can win a general election by blaming the bloc for being inflexible and causing no deal. They have come to the conclusion that the U.K.’s departure without agreement is now the most probable outcome.
“Enough is enough. This country wants this done,” Johnson said. “I will never surrender the control of the negotiations in the way the Leader of the Opposition is demanding.”
--With assistance from Alex Morales, Kitty Donaldson and Ian Wishart.
To contact the reporters on this story: Tim Ross in London at tross54@bloomberg.net;Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson at fjackson@bloomberg.net
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