Ahead of important votes in the House of Commons on a British exit from the European Union and the calling of early parliamentary elections, the division in British politics has grown even greater due to a new proposal from part of the opposition. The Liberal Democrats (LibDems) and the Scottish National Party (SNP) have put forward their own proposals for early elections, while the Labour opposition rejects this and it is still unclear whether the Conservative Party of Prime Minister Boris Johnson will support it.
The leaders of the British opposition parties SNP and Liberal Democrats say they are willing to agree to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s wish for new elections at the end of this year. However, they set the condition that the European Union grants Great Britain an extension until 31 January. Brussels, on the other hand, wants to decide only after the British parliament has made a decision about whether or not to hold early elections.
This threatens to create a situation where not only London and the EU are waiting on each other to take the lead on a decision, but also a deadlock threatens between the British government and the British opposition, and among the three British opposition parties themselves.
Johnson wants to hold new elections on 12 December and will likely bring that proposal to a vote on Monday. To get his proposal passed, he needs the support of a two-thirds majority, including from the opposition. But for the Labour opposition, new elections are only negotiable once the risk of a no-deal Brexit with the EU is off the table, and for now Labour is against everything and in favor of nothing.
The Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats are against leaving the EU, and thus also against the UK-EU Brexit deal. These two parties have therefore asked EU President Donald Tusk to agree to Johnson’s earlier request for a Brexit extension until the end of January 2020. The SNP and Liberal Democrats, both opposed to Brexit, have proposed holding new elections on 9 December.
The British “constitution” stipulates that a government proposal to hold early elections requires a two-thirds majority. However, it is unclear whether the support of the SNP and the LibDems will be sufficient, since part of Labour and the Northern Irish DUP will vote against it.
The amendment that the LibDems and SNP want to submit on Monday to the election proposal of Prime Minister Johnson requires only a simple majority (half plus one), but it is unclear whether the Conservatives are willing to accept the conditions set by the SNP and LibDems.
Furthermore, there is now a possibility that the EU or the European Parliament will not want to make a decision on Monday about a potential extension because the British position is still unclear.