Brexit remains up in the air more than three years after Britons voted to leave the EU in a 2016 referendum. Options range from a turbulent no-deal exit to abandoning the whole endeavour.
Johnson says he wants to take Britain out of the EU on Oct. 31 with or without a deal with the bloc. But he lost his parliamentary majority this week and expelled 21 lawmakers from his ruling Conservative Party’s group in parliament after they supported an opposition plan to try to bloc a no-deal exit.
Johnson says the only solution is a new election, which he wants to take place on Oct. 15, allowing him to win a new mandate with two weeks left to leave the bloc on time. He needs two-thirds of parliament’s lawmakers to back an early election.
But opposition parties, including the Labour Party, said they would either vote against or abstain on calls for an election until the law to force Johnson to seek a Brexit delay is implemented. Johnson failed to win enough support in a vote on Wednesday for an election.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn held a call with other opposition leaders on Friday to discuss their plans.
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