Analyst: UK govt likely to lose vote for general election

(28 Oct 2019) A UK political analyst says that the British government's agreement to "look at options" put forward by opposition parties is a sign Boris Johnson will lose yet another vote in Parliament on Monday. Two British opposition parties proposed Sunday an even earlier election date than Prime Minister Boris Johnson has offered, trying to force his government to delay a final decision on its European Union divorce deal. The Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party plan to introduce legislation on Tuesday that calls for an early national election on December 9, three days earlier than Johnson proposed and years earlier than Britain's next scheduled vote in 2022. The ruling Conservatives desperately want a new election to bolster their numbers in Parliament, but they face resistance from the main opposition Labour Party, which fears the country will be unwittingly tricked into crashing out of the European Union without a deal. British politicians are set to vote on Monday on whether to hold an early election to try to break the country's deadlock over Brexit. Johnson wants a December 12 election, but looks unlikely to get the required support from two-thirds of lawmakers. The latest election proposal is an effort to force Johnson to delay debate in Parliament on his Brexit withdrawal bill until after any election, depriving him of a possible victory on his trademark issue going into the campaign. It makes Johnson's government choose between holding an election to improve its position in Parliament and its goal of securing Brexit before that election takes place. The European Union, meanwhile, has agreed to delay Brexit until January 31 next year. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...