UK PM JOHNSON TRIES TO SELL HIS BREXIT DEAL TO BRITISH LAWMAKERS
LONDON: The minority Boris Johnson government hobbled by dwindling strength in recent weeks was on Friday grappling to win majority support in the House of Commons when the revised Brexit agreement reached on Thursday is debated and put to vote on Saturday.
In power since 2017 with support from the 10-member Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the Johnson government has been forced to seek new supporters after the Northern Ireland-based party announced it would vote against the deal on what has been dubbed ‘Super Saturday’.
The House of Commons has 650 members, but the effective strength is 639 because the speaker and three deputies do not usually vote. Since the Sinn Fein (7 MPs) traditionally refuses to swear allegiance to Queen Elizabeth, it is not entitled to vote as a consequence.
Needing votes of 320 MPs to approve the crucial agreement, Johnson’s team has been exerting since Thursday, contacting Conservative rebels and opposition MPs in the hope that Brexit fatigue and compulsions of Leave-supporting constituents would clinch support.
The Conservative Party currently has 288 MPs, Labour 245, independents 35, Scottish National Party 35, Liberal Democrats 19, DUP 10, Sinn Fein 7, independent Group for Change 5, Plaid Cymru 4 and Green Party 1.
The opposition Labour has announced its decision to vote against the agreement, besides the Scottish National Party, Liberal Democrats, Green Party and some MPs who resigned in recent months from Conservative and Labour parties and are sitting as independents.
Johnson said, “This is the moment for our parliamentarians to come together and get this thing done.”
He will need the support of 21 Conservative MPs who were expelled by him in September after they voted in favour of an opposition-sponsored motion to prevent leaving the EU without an agreement on October 31.