Boris Johnson’s final bid to force pre-Christmas election: PM desperately pleads with Lib Dems and SNP to back snap poll – but talks hit deadlock over whether it should happen on December 12 or 9

• Prime Minister told MPs they would be asked to vote on a pre-Christmas poll
• Jeremy Corbyn blocked an initial attempt to hold an election on December 12
• Ministers were last night trying to persuade Lib Dems and SNP to support bill 
• His aides admit today’s vote is probably his last chance to secure a quick poll 

Boris Johnson’s faces the moment of truth for his hopes of a pre-Christmas election today as he pleads with the Lib Dems and SNP to back the move.

The Prime Minister is mounting a fourth effort to force a snap poll after Parliament blocked his Brexit plans, with aides admitting it is the last chance to go to the country in December.

A short piece of legislation is being put before MPs this afternoon that would trigger the vote on December 12. 

Previously Mr Johnson has tried to force an election by tabling a motion under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, which requires a two-thirds majority in the Commons. That threshold can only be met if Jeremy Corbyn agrees, and he has vetoed the move.

But the latest tactic only requires a simple majority, meaning it could potentially go through with Lib Dem and SNP backing. Mr Johnson has already met their main demands by accepting that his Brexit deal will be shelved until after an election.

However, the premier’s chances of success are still on a knife edge with the smaller parties insisting the date should be December 9.

The government insists the earlier timetable is not possible as the Bill must go through by the end of Thursday, and other laws need to be passed for Northern Ireland.

In a sign that a compromise might be about to emerge this morning, Lib Dem MP Chuka Umunna said while the date could not be December 12 they could be flexible on the 9th.

‘We will see what else they come forward with. We have got to break the gridlock,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. 

Boris Johnson (pictured in Westminster last night) said he did not want to put the public to the ‘inconvenience’ of a pre-Christmas election, but Parliament could not ‘deliver’

Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson (pictured left) has said an election is necessary as it does not appear possible to secure a second referendum. Jeremy Corbyn (right) says No Deal must be ruled out altogether before he supports an election

There are also mounting signs of panic in Labour that they will be outflanked on the election.

Mr Corbyn and his closest aides have been keen to trigger a showdown ballot.

What happened in Parliament yesterday? 

Boris Johnson, the SNP and the Lib Dems have been trying to put together an unlikely alliance to render Jeremy Corbyn powerless. 

In the face of a massive backbench revolt, Mr Corbyn blocked the PM’s latest bid to force a snap poll last night. 

That motion was brought under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, meaning two-thirds of the Commons must vote in favour for it to pass.

But the veteran left-winger is at risk of being outflanked after the SNP and Lib Dems broke ranks. 

They have offered to back a one-line Bill that would sidestep the FTPA. In return the PM would give up hope of passing the Brexit Bill before an election. 

However, the date could be a major sticking point, as Mr Johnson wants December 12 and the other parties are demanding December 9.  

Initially the Labour leader claimed that the party would support an early vote if the EU granted an extension to January 31 – as happened yesterday. 

However, Mr Corbyn is facing a revolt by half his MPs, who fear being put to the sword by the Tories and Lib Dems, and would rather have a second Brexit referendum. 

If the SNP and Lib Dems come on board with the election Bill today Labour risks being humiliated by trying to block an election – and failing. 

Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner suggested today that Labour could be about to make a dramatic U-turn. 

Asked what Mr Johnson could do to get Labour support, he said: “The first thing, I think, would be to ensure that students are not going to be disenfranchised by the date of the election.” 

Pressed on whether December 9 would be more acceptable than December 12, Mr Gardiner said: “It certainly would.” 

Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson declined to say last night whether her 19 MPs would support Mr Johnson this afternoon but pointed out she had rejected December 12.

Government sources said it was too late to meet the Lib Dems’ preferred date of December 9 – but indicated that the two following days were possible compromise options.

In the Commons, Mr Johnson said: ‘We will not allow this paralysis to continue. This House can no longer keep the country hostage. Millions of families and businesses cannot plan for the future.’

The PM accused Mr Corbyn of ‘literally and figuratively running away from the judgment of the British people’.

Mr Johnson is unable to simply call an election because of the conditions of the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act, which state that the next election should not be held until June 2022.

The legislation, passed by the coalition government, allows for an early election only if two thirds of MPs back the idea in a Commons vote.

Why is there a dispute over whether the election should be on December 9 or 12? 

The fate of Boris Johnson’s second general election vote on Tuesday largely depends on whether he can come to a compromise with the SNP and Lib Dems over when the poll would be held. 

A full 25 working days is needed between Parliament dissolving and an election, so Number 10 insists a December 9 date isn’t possible. 

However, Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson is worried Mr Johnson could use the later date to try and bring his Brexit Bill back and rush it through before polling day. The PM has rejected these concerns, saying the bill is dead until after an election. 

There has also been a suggestion that the Lib Dems and Labour would prefer an earlier poll because more students would be at university, potentially handing them an advantage. However, the fact is that many major universities finish for Christmas on Friday, December 13. 

Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill has warned that December 12 is the latest possible date for an election or it would mean Christmas events at village halls and schools being cancelled to make way for polling stations.  

But last night, for the third time in recent months, Mr Corbyn ordered his Labour MPs to abstain. As a result, the vote was won by 299 votes to 70 – well short of the 434 votes needed to secure an early poll.

Mr Johnson said the Government would now press ahead with a ‘simple Bill’ that sets aside the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act and states that the next election should be held on December 12.

The idea was first floated at the weekend – with a date of December 9 – by the Lib Dems and SNP, who both see an electoral advantage in going to the polls before Brexit is delivered.

Tonight Tory chief whip Mark Spencer was leading intensive talks with his counterparts in the two minor parties in the hope of stitching together a compromise that would deliver a pre-Christmas election.

Government sources said it was all-but impossible to get the legislation through in time for an election on December 9 as this would require Parliament to be dissolved on Thursday night.

Sources said MPs also had to pass Northern Ireland budget legislation before an election could be held.

Mr Corbyn suggested parts of the country would be too dark in the evening to hold an election on December 12.

He later appeared to hint he could drop his opposition if the poll was held a few days earlier. 

But Labour transport spokesman Andy McDonald tonight suggested his party was unlikely to change its position and back the Government.

‘I think it’s very unwise to be having a general election in the run-up to Christmas,’ he said. 

A breakdown showing how MPs voted last night. It shows that the Lib Dems opposed the vote, while the SNP and Labour abstained

Mr Johnson’s allies are determined to secure a pre-Christmas election, believing it is the only way to break the Brexit deadlock. The Prime Minister told MPs: ‘Across the country there is a widespread view that this Parliament has run its course.

‘I simply do not believe that this House is capable of delivering on the priorities of the people, whether that means Brexit or anything else.’ However, some senior Tories such as Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith, Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan and Health Secretary Matt Hancock have argued it would be better to try to pass the PM’s Brexit deal before going to the polls.

Damian Green, leader of the One Nation group of Tory MPs, urged Mr Johnson to press on with trying to get the withdrawal agreement through Parliament rather than gambling with an election. Mr Green said: ‘It’s much better for us to have an election after the Withdrawal Agreement Bill is passed. Any other course of action is incredibly risky.’

Fellow Tory Matthew Offord warned an amendment to give 16- and 17-year-olds the vote was ‘inevitable’ as ‘it’s the only way Labour could save themselves’. The SNP, which last week described the idea of a December election as ‘barking mad’, has indicated it could now back an early poll.

However the party’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford last night indicated that he would push for 16-year-olds to be given the vote – a red line for No 10.

Commons speaker John Bercow addresses MPs during the debate over whether to call a general election 

Mr Johnson’s Brexit strategist Dominic Cummings (left last night) has been sticking close to the PM as the drama unfolds

Angus MacNeil, a senior SNP MP, warned against handing Mr Johnson a ‘Christmas present’. 

He said: ‘We would be better having a referendum than an election, which can gift one side victory with 35 per cent of the vote. We have currently got him in a cage. 

‘He is going to be an escaped vulture fairly soon, when he will give you any Brexit, or a No Deal Brexit or anything you want and claim a mandate for it.’

Former Cabinet minister David Gauke, one of 21 Tory MPs suspended for opposing No Deal, also cautioned about a December election, saying: ‘When someone opens the front door to a stranger in December they expect to be sung a carol, not asked how they are going to vote.’

Following last night’s vote, Mr Corbyn said Labour would want to scrutinise whatever ministers put forward.

He said it had to be clear that the Government could not force through a No Deal Brexit against the wishes of Parliament. ‘We look forward to a clear, definitive decision that no deal is absolutely off the table and there is no danger of this Prime Minister not sticking to his word because he has some form on these matters,’ he added.

Miss Swinson said: ‘If Boris Johnson wants a general election, then he could have supported our Bill for a general election on December 9.’  

Still squabbling, but a deal CAN be done: JACK DOYLE’s Q&A

What happened in the Commons?

MPs voted by 299 votes to 70 in favour of a General Election on December 12, but failed to deliver the two thirds majority required under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act.

Labour abstained after Jeremy Corbyn issued a rambling explanation of why he was opposed to an election – including that it would be ‘too dark’. Boris Johnson accused him of ‘running away from the judgment of the people’.

Does it mean no election?

No. Immediately after the vote, Mr Johnson stood up in the Commons and announced he would publish a short Bill to change the law and set the date for an election on December 12. 

This would require only a simple majority of MPs to succeed. He said the Commons couldn’t ‘keep the country hostage’ any longer.

Will the Bill get through?

It’s unclear. Over the weekend the Liberal Democrats and the SNP, who both want an election, proposed a Bill similar to Mr Johnson’s but with the date set for December 9. 

Tonight Lib Dems suggested they wouldn’t vote for Mr Johnson’s later election date, potentially throwing a huge spanner in the works. The SNP said it wouldn’t be ‘dancing to Boris Johnson’s tune’.

The European Council president Donald Tusk confirmed that the UK would get another three months to break its Brexit deadlock by either passing a deal or holding a general election

Would three extra days make much difference?

In the grand scheme of things, no. But there is some suggestion the Lib Dems and Labour would prefer an earlier poll because more students would be at university, potentially handing the opposition parties an advantage. 

However many major universities finish for Christmas on Friday, December 13. Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson is also concerned Mr Johnson could try to bring the Brexit Bill back and rush it through before polling day. That was effectively ruled out by No 10. 

What is in store today?

Either the pro-election parties come to an agreement fast or they are going to run out of time to get a poll before Christmas. A full 25 working days must be allowed between Parliament dissolving and an election taking place. 

No 10 insists an election on December 9 isn’t possible, because there isn’t enough time to get the Bill through – along with other essential parliamentary business – by close of play on Thursday. But if the election was slightly later there is enough time to get it through, in theory.

What is No 10’s view?

Downing Street sources suggested that the Prime Minister might be prepared to compromise, by suggesting a ‘range’ of dates were possible between December 9 and 12. 

But a decision has to be made quickly. If the Bill doesn’t pass its second reading in the Commons this afternoon cleanly, then the pre-Christmas election is effectively off. Ministers cannot go any later than December 12 because they risk running into the Christmas period.

Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill has warned that the 12th is the latest date or the election would mean turfing pantomimes, parties and nativity plays out of village halls and schools used as polling stations.

Are there any other obstacles to a poll?

In theory the House of Lords could cause trouble and delay the Bill and MPs in the Commons could try to amend it with votes for 16- and 17-year-olds. But peers would be highly unwise to try to block the legislation and changing the franchise so late would make an election impossible. The Lib Dems and SNP would be killing off the election if they voted in favour of such changes.

What about the Brexit Withdrawal Bill?

No 10 says the legislation to take Britain out of the European Union is dead until after the election. Sources suggested the Prime Minister would have been prepared to bring the Bill back this week if Labour pro-leave MPs agreed to back it through the Commons. Those assurances were not forthcoming.  

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