British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make a fresh push on Monday for an early election as EU leaders prepare to back yet another Brexit delay, just days before the departure deadline.
Johnson was forced to abandon his promise to leave the European Union on October 31, after MPs demanded he ask for more time while they debate the divorce terms he struck with Brussels.
EU ambassadors will meet early Monday to discuss his request to delay Brexit until January 31, under a plan that would allow Britain to leave earlier if parliament ratifies the exit deal, Brussels sources said.
Member states have already accepted a delay in principle to avoid the risk of a disorderly divorce, but some, mainly France, question how long it should be.
Later Monday, Johnson will ask the House of Commons to vote on a snap election, which he wants to hold on December 12 — after MPs have had time to ratify his Brexit deal.
However, he faces defeat, as with his two previous election calls. He needs the support of two-thirds of the 650 MPs, but does not have even a simple majority.
The Labour party dislikes Johnson’s Brexit deal and says it will not back an election until his threat of leaving the EU with no deal at all is removed.
Senior Labour MP Diane Abbott told the BBC Sunday the party “is up for an election”, but added: “We are waiting to see what the EU says.”
