UK PM Johnson Calls for Dec. 12 Snap Elections

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on parliament Thursday for an early general election to be held on Dec. 12, as the members of parliament are asking for more time to analyze the law-text that would be used to implement the Brexit deal.

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In a televised statement, the PM announced his intention to ask the MPs Oct. 28, to vote a motion allowing the holding of snap elections on Dec. 12.

“The way to get Brexit done is, I think, to be reasonable with Parliament. If they genuinely want more time to study this excellent deal [ concluded with Brussels on October 17], then they can have it, but they have to agree to a general election on December 12. That's the way forward," the head of government said.

Johnson was forced to demand a new Brexit postponement after parliament voted in favor of his deal at the first stage, but then, some minutes later, rejected on Tuesday his preferred timetable which would have met his Oct. 31 deadline.

The next general elections are scheduled for 2022. To advance them, the government's plan requires a two-thirds majority of parliamentarians, but the premier has already failed twice to win the necessary support within the House of Commons.

In a letter to opposition Labor Party’s leader Jeremy Corbyn, Johnson said he would give more time to the parliament to ratify the Brexit agreement negotiated with Brussels if they back a December election.

"We will make available all possible time between now and 6 November for the WAB [Withdrawal Agreement Bill] to be discussed and voted through,” Johnson wrote in his - posted on Twitter - letter to Corbyn, adding “this means that we could get Brexit done before the election on 12 December."

"But if Parliament refuses to take this chance and fails to ratify [the agreement] by the end of November 6, as I fear it will, then the issue will have to be resolved by a new Parliament," he stated.

Corbyn said he would wait to see what the EU decides on a Brexit delay before deciding which way to vote on Monday, repeating that he could only back an election when the risk of Johnson taking Britain out of the EU without a deal to smooth the transition was off the table.