Lib Dems hand Boris Johnson election plan B

The chances of a December general election have risen after Boris Johnson signalled he would accept a compromise proposed by the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party (SNP).

The prime minister is expected to lose a vote later today on his own proposal to hold an election on 12 December - but in a “lifeline” for Johnson, the two opposition parties have suggested a route forward, reports The Telegraph.

This evening’s vote requires a “super majority” of two-thirds of all MPs – 434 – to pass, under the rules of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act (FTPA).

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

However, the opposition plan would sweep aside that obstacle by simply amending the fixed-term act.

“FTPA election motions require at least two-thirds of MPs to support them, giving Labour an effective veto on the process. In contrast, calling an election via an amendment to the FTPA, or a separate one-line act, would only need a straightforward majority in the Commons,” explains The Guardian.

The Government would be almost certain to win a straightforward majority with SNP and Lib Dem support. And with Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster also giving tacit approval to the plan, the mathematics have swung closer still to its successful passage.

Lib Dem boss Jo Swinson and the SNP propose holding a general election on 9 December if, as expected, the EU extends Article 50 until 31 January and Johnson then promises to adhere to the extension, with no-deal Brexit taken off the table.

In a message posted on the Lib Dem’s Twitter account yesterday, the party said: “Our proposal for a general election, once No Deal is taken off the table, will end the parliamentary deadlock and give the British people the opportunity to vote for a brighter future as members of the EU.”

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Get your first six issues for £6–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Hinting that the suggestion would become the Government’s plan B if it lost Monday’s vote, Downing Street said: “We will look at all options to get Brexit done including ideas similar to that proposed by other opposition parties.”

Then, after the EU agreed this morning that it will accept a Brexit flextension, “another twist in No 10 thinking” emerged, reports the Financial Times. The newspaper says government sources are considering introducing a bill “almost identical” to the one from the Lib Dems and SNP.

One senior Lib Dem insider suggested the party would back such a move, as long as it still avoids no deal and does not entail forcing through the Withdrawal Agreement.

Swinson has long called for a second referendum, but in developing the alternative plan has signalled her acceptance that there will not be one before an election.

From Johnson’s point of view, Swinson’s proposal offers the best chance of getting an election.

“There is still an effort to get the Withdrawal Agreement Bill through Parliament but if MPs are unwilling to get the bill through, an election is the only other way forward,” said a senior government source.

“The Lib Dems and the SNP have shifted their position and we are responding to that shift.”

However, The Guardian encourages caution, saying “agreement seems some way off amid mutual mistrust over issues such as the fact a bill could be amended”.

As for Labour, The Telegraph says the development leaves Jeremy Corbyn “outflanked” by the other two opposition parties.