Johnson’s Government Loses Majority Ahead of Crucial Brexit Vote
- Tory Phillip Lee defects to Lib Dems ahead of crucial vote
- Commons due to vote on stage one of plan to stop no-deal split
Boris Johnson, U.K. prime minister, speaks outside number 10 Downing Street on Sept. 2.
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Boris Johnson lost his government’s ruling majority ahead of a critical showdown with members of Parliament, as the Brexit crisis pushed the U.K. closer toward a snap election.
The prime minister is battling political opponents who are determined to wreck his plan to deliver Brexit at all costs by Oct. 31, with the first parliamentary vote in the clash expected around 10 p.m Tuesday night. If he loses, Johnson’s officials have said he will set in motion preparations for a poll to elect a new government on Oct. 14.