A Prime Minister held in No. 10 against his will. The very notion seems absurd, but this is essentially what is happening right now. Boris Johnson wants a general election, a chance to see whether the public agree with him or parliament on the sanctity of the 31 October deadline for leaving the European Union. The House of Commons won’t give him one. Instead it keeps him in office while the opposition condemn him as unfit to be there.
In more normal times, the Supreme Court finding unanimously that the prime minister acted unlawfully in the advice he gave the Queen would lead to either a prime ministerial resignation or a motion of no confidence. But Johnson has no intention of resigning and despite parliament’s return, a motion of no confidence has not been tabled.
There are three reasons why MPs who oppose the government on the biggest issue of the day are refusing to support a general election. None of them is laudable. The first is a cynical attempt to do political damage to him. They want him there so that on 19 October it is he who has to request a delay to that 31 October leaving date. Why get rid of a PM when you can pass laws to force him to do what you want? Then there is the fact they can’t agree on who should replace him. The Liberal Democrats won’t back Jeremy Corbyn, and he won’t back anyone else. The final reason is cowardice. They fear the Tories would come back from a election with a mandate and a majority for their Brexit policy.
Johnson’s response to his Supreme Court defeat and his coming parliamentary humiliation is to redouble his calls for a general election.
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