LONDON – The UK is set for a December 12 general election after MPs voted to back it following months of deadlock over Brexit.
By a margin of 438 votes to 20, the Commons approved legislation paving the way for the first December election since 1923.
The bill is still to be approved by the Lords but could become law by the end of the week.
If that happens, there will be a five-week campaign up to polling day.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the public must be “given a choice” over the future of Brexit and the country.
Johnson hopes the election will give him a fresh mandate for his Brexit deal and break the current parliamentary deadlock, which has led to the UK’s exit being further delayed to 31 January.
He is expected to address Conservative MPs shortly.
Before the meeting, No 10 confirmed that half of the 21 Tory MPs thrown out of the party for rebelling over Brexit have had the whip restored, allowing them to stand as Conservative candidates.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “This election is a once-in-a-generation chance to transform our country and take on the vested interests holding people back.”
He said his party would “now launch the most ambitious and radical campaign for real change that our country has ever seen”. (BBC)
