Boris Johnson defeated after MPs vote for plan to delay Brexit and stop a no-deal exit
- Prime minister Boris Johnson suffers major defeat by members of parliament planning to delay Brexit and prevent a no-deal exit.
- Rebel Conservative MPs joined with opposition parties to pass a motion which will allow them to bring forward new legislation which could force Johnson to request a three-month delay to Brexit.
- Johnson has insisted there are 'no circumstances' in which he will delay Brexit and will now seek a general election instead.
- He will challenge opposition parties to vote for a new election to be called in October.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suffered a major defeat after members of Parliament voted to take control of Parliament in order to pass a new law which could force him to delay Brexit and avoid a no-deal exit.
Conservative rebels joined with opposition MPs in order to back a motion that will allow them to take control of the parliamentary agenda on Wednesday, and the opportunity to pass a new law which could force the prime minister to seek a three month delay to Brexit.
The defeat came despite threats from the prime minister to expel Conservative MPs who backed the motion. Several Conservative MPs announced their decision on Tuesday to stand down at the next election, while one former minister, Philip Lee, dramatically crossed the floor to join the Liberal Democrats.
Johnson accused his opponents of "surrender" to the European Union.
"There is only one way Mr Speaker to describe this Bill," he said in a Commons statement on Tuesday afternoon.
"It is Jeremy Corbyn's Surrender Bill. It means running up the white flag."
He added that "I want to make clear to everybody in this House - there are no circumstances in which I will ever accept anything like it.Boris Johnson will push for early general election
His government will instead bring forward a motion, to be voted on by MPs Wednesday, which would force an early general election in mid-October.
However, many opposition MPs are wary of backing the motion, amid fears that Johnson could use a general election in order to bounce the UK into a no-deal Brexit.
Labour is committed to holding an early general election, but may seek to attach conditions to any motion brought forward by the government, in order to prevent the date from being moved until after Britain's planned exit date from the EU on October 31.
The Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry insisted on Tuesday that the party would reject any immediate election motion brought forward by the government on Wednesday.
"There won't be a general election called tomorrow because we're not going to vote for it because we have got to make sure that this legislation is embedded, signed off by the Queen, and there is no argument about it any more," she told ITV.
She added: "We want a general election but we want this legislation done first."
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