This article is more than 10 months old

This article is more than 10 months old

Boris Johnson has lost his third bid for a general election, after Labour abstained and he failed to reach the two-thirds majority of MPs he needed for a poll. The result was 299 votes for and 70 against.

The prime minister is now expected to back a Liberal Democrat plan to change the law in order to secure an early election, although the parties do not yet agree on a date.

Timeline Boris Johnson's parliamentary defeats Show Hide In the first vote Johnson faces as prime minister, 21 rebel Tory MPs vote with the opposition to seize control of the order paper to allow a debate on a bill that would block a no-deal Brexit. Against Johnson's wishes, the Commons passes by 329 votes to 300 the second reading of the European Union (withdrawal) (No 6) bill proposed by Hilary Benn. Later the same day the Benn bill passes the third and final reading needed to become law, this time by 327 to 299 votes. Johnson responds by attempting to force an early general election. The 298 MPs who support him are short of the two-thirds majority required by the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, making it a third defeat in a single day for the government. Dominic Grieve's bid to force the government to release documents related to the Operation Yellowhammer no-deal planning and on the decision to prorogue parliament defeats Johnson by 311 to 302. Johnson's second call for an early general election is supported by 293 MPs, still short of the two-thirds majority required. Parliament is prorogued and MPs briefly occupy the chamber after the session is closed. The supreme court rules that Johnson's closure of parliament was unlawful and that MPs must return. In the first vote in the reconvened House of Commons, MPs vote by 306 to 289 against a three-day recess to allow Conservative MPs to attend their party conference. On a rare Saturday sitting of parliament, the government loses a vote on the ‘Letwin amendment’ by 322 votes to 306. It withholds approval of the prime minister’s deal until the legislation to enact it - the Withdrawal Agreement Bill - is passed. Having won with a 30-vote majority to move his Withdrawal Agreement Bill to the second reading stage, Johnson immediately lost the government’s so-called programme motion, which set out the accelerated timetable for the bill, by 308 votes in favour to 322 against. Johnson's third attempt to call a general election was defeated. With 299 votes for, and 70 votes against, it failed to reach the 434 votes required by the Fixed-term Parliaments Act.

The Lib Dems want a date of 9 December, while students are still at university, but the Tories favour 12 December, after some have broken up for Christmas.

Following the vote, Johnson said he would come back to the House on Tuesday with a Bill for a December 12 election that will require a simple majority rather than the two-thirds of MPs required for Monday’s vote.

Johnson said: “Later on this evening, the government will give notice for the presentation a short bill an election on 12 December so we can finally get Brexit done. The house cannot any longer keep this country hostage … Now that no deal is off the table, we have a great new deal. It’s time to put that to the

voters.”

Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, suggested his party could also back the Lib Dem plan after coming under pressure to back an early poll. The party has been saying that it cannot support an election until a no-deal Brexit is removed as a risk.

“We will consider carefully any legislation on an early election,” he said, adding that a date needed to be locked down in law to prevent Johnson trying to move it for his own advantage.

Corbyn also suggested he would want the vote to happen earlier than 12 December, before students have broken up for the winter holiday, saying any plan would need to “protect the voting rights of all of our citizens”.