History in the making: MPs poised to back Theresa today
MPs will today overwhelmingly back a snap General Election on June 8 in a historic House of Commons vote.
Theresa May needs a two-thirds majority in Parliament to trigger the poll – but Labour MPs are expected to back the motion.
The vote is expected to take place following Prime Minister’s Questions at midday, and will be preceded by a 90-minute debate.
Until recently, prime ministers could decide when to call an election – as long as one took place at least every five years – using so-called prerogative powers dating back hundreds of years. Governments also fell if they lost a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons.
But the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 fixed the date of the 2015 general election, and said subsequent polls would take place every five years. The next election was due on May 7, 2020.
The law was passed by David Cameron and Nick Clegg to try to ensure the coalition government’s survival even if there was a political crisis. Critics described it as an act of constitutional vandalism.
It dictates that the Commons must pass by a two-thirds majority a motion stating that ‘there shall be an early parliamentary general election’. It was seen as a possible obstacle to a snap election, but Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has long said he support a poll. Yesterday he confirmed this, saying his MPs would back Mrs May’s motion.
Despite dire opinion poll ratings, Mr Corbyn said he ‘welcomed’ the Prime Minister’s decision to ‘give the British people the chance to vote for a government that will put the interests of the majority first’.
‘We look forward to showing how Labour will stand up for the people of Britain,’ he added.
The Lib Dems will also support the election, and the SNP said they would not ‘stand in the way’ of the poll.
Only one Labour MP, Chris Matheson, has said publicly he will vote against the election. His majority in Chester is 93, making it his party’s most marginal seat.
A handful of others could also try to block the vote. Asked if he would back the motion, Labour MP Mike Gapes wrote on Twitter: ‘Do turkeys vote for Christmas?’
If the Commons does not support the election with sufficient numbers, the Government could theoretically collapse itself by passing a vote of no confidence.
Mr Corbyn would then have two weeks to try to form a government, and if he failed, the election would go ahead. Former Scottish first miniswould ter Alex Salmond, now an SNP MP, accused Mrs May of ‘blatant opportunism’.
‘After everything she said about governing the country, she has taken one look at the opinion polls and dashed to an election,’ he said. Mrs May could seek to repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act in her new manifesto.
If the vote goes through, Parliament will sit until May 3. Local elections are already being held the next day on May 4, and the General Election campaign is likely to begin on Monday, May 8.
‘Taken one look at the opinion polls’