Therese Raphael, Columnist

Why Would Jeremy Corbyn Help Boris Johnson Now?

What would Labour gain from a Dec. 12 election? The prime minister’s Brexit deal needs proper scrutiny and he’s well ahead in the polls.

October 25, 2019 at 8:31 AM UTC

Corrected

October 25, 2019 at 9:50 AM UTC

By Therese Raphael

Therese Raphael is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion covering health care and British politics. Previously, she was editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe.

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Photographer: ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP

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Britain moved a step closer to a general election on Thursday night. Or else it moved closer to even more debilitating parliamentary gridlock. It’s so uncertain that European Union leaders aren’t even sure about what length of extension to the Brexit deadline they should offer.

It’s ironic that the man who can break the deadlock is the opposition Labour Party’s Jeremy Corbyn, one of the least decisive political leaders around. Prime Minister Boris Johnson needs Labour’s support to get a general election approved by the House of Commons. Corbyn shouldn’t submit to a gun to Parliament’s head as it debates the most important legislation before it in a generation (indeed, there are indications that Labour lawmakers will refuse Johnson’s invitation).