London
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Thursday for an early election after a flurry of parliamentary votes tore up his hardline Brexit strategy and left him without a majority.
His government said it would make a second attempt on Monday to trigger the national polls after the opposition Labour party on Wednesday helped block Johnson’s first bid.
“It is now time for the people to decide after parliament has failed them so we can resolve this once and for all,” a Downing Street spokesman said.
The vote’s timing is still being debated as the country hurtles toward an October 31 departure from the European Union without a plan for what comes next.
The prime minister was dealt a further personal blow when his brother Jo said he was quitting his junior ministerial role and not contesting his seat in parliament in the new ballot.
“I’ve been torn between family loyalty and the national interest — it’s an unresolvable tension & time for others to take on my roles,” Jo Johnson tweeted.—AFP
