Parliament, Johnson deadlocked on Brexit

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains defiant in his plan to lead the U.K. out of the European Union with or without an agreed-upon plan next month. On Thursday, he vowed to push again for a new Parliamentary election on Oct. 15 after Parliament rejected his first attempt. The Labour Party and some Conservatives want to delay the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline and take more time to work out the details, but Johnson said the country should move forward, deal or no deal.

How would an election help? If Johnson’s Conservative Party could win more seats in a snap election, he would have more power in Parliament to get Brexit done the way he wants. But former Prime Minister Theresa May tried calling a snap election in 2017 for the same reason and it backfired—the Conservative Party ended up losing seats. The current Parliament has to approve a new national vote, something the Labour Party said it won’t do unless Johnson takes the possibility of a no-deal Brexit off the table.

Dig deeper: Read my analysis on what triggered the Brexit stalemate.