LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers have rejected Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s call to hold an early election on Dec. 12 in a bid to break the political deadlock over Brexit.
The House of Commons voted 299-70 to hold an early election, but that fell well short of the two-thirds majority of all 650 lawmakers that Johnson needed.
Opposition parties said they wanted an election, but not on the prime minister’s terms.
The opposition Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party plan to try to secure a Dec. 9 election using a different procedure.
5:40 p.m.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has grudgingly accepted a three-month delay to the U.K.’s departure from the European Union, but stressed that he’s doing it against his will and urged the EU to grant no more delays.
In a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk, Johnson says that under U.K. law “I have no discretion . to do anything other than confirm the U.K.’s formal agreement to this extension.”
He called the delay “unwanted” and said it was “imposed on this government against its will.”
Johnson requested the delay on the orders of Parliament.
In his letter, Johnson urges the 27 other EU countries “to make clear that a further extension after 31 January is not possible.”
Johnson is pushing for an early U.K. election in a bid to break Britain’s Brexit deadlock.
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