There are, undoubtedly, line managers up and down the land that would love the opportunity to sack some of their colleagues on a whim.
Sadly, employment law prevents such things from happening….apart from in the confused landscape of UK politics, that is.
Here, if your ‘employees’ disagree with you then you can simply fire them, no questions asked.
It was a power that the prime minister, Boris Johnson, yielded with ruthless authority yesterday when 21 of his own Conservative MPs defied his orders to back his plans for a No Deal Brexit.
In doing so, they were sacked – or ‘had the whip removed’, in more forgiving political parlance.
It was the first time that Boris has had his power tested, and the result of the No Deal vote – 301 for, 328 against – might not look that definitive, but in terms of his early leadership it was a bitter blow.
It has left the PM threatening a snap general election – something that the opposition, Labour, really don’t want such is the unpopularity of their leader, Jeremy Corbyn.
And so, once again, we are at a complete impasse as far as Brexit is concerned. We’re into September now, which means that October 31 deadline is just seven or eight weeks away….
Another Crazy 24 Hours in Parliament
Image Credit: By Adrian Pingstone (talk · contribs) (Self-photographed) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The No Deal vote, held on Tuesday as the government re-emerged from a hiatus, was designed to strengthen Boris’ position and give him the platform on which he could complete the Brexit negotiations: either with a deal or without one.
But by rejecting his motion, MPs have basically declared their intention to take control of the House of Commons, and they will now vote on a separate motion that will force the prime minister to delay Brexit unless a new deal is agreed or if the House agrees that a No Deal exit is the smartest move.
The point is that control has been wrestled from Johnson….and No Deal now appears to be slightly less likely as a result. That in itself has caused a wave of positivity, with the value of the pound rising 0.5% against the dollar overnight.
And a the end of it all, Boris confirmed he will seek a snap general election if the result of that vote does not go how he wants it to.
This incredible chain of events was triggered by one man, Dr Phillip Lee MP.
Who is Phillip Lee, And What Did He Do?
The Conservatives had a working majority in the Commons….that is, until Phillip Lee ‘crossed the floor’ and joined the Liberal Democrats.
Tory MP Philip Lee has just crossed the floor of the Commons to join the Liberal Democrats while Johnson is speaking, leaving his government with no working majoritypic.twitter.com/jyRUfsFeYl
— Alfons López Tena #FBPE (@alfonslopeztena) 3 September 2019
He is the MP for Bracknell, winning his seat back in 2010 with a majority of more than 15,000 votes.
Lee has been a vocal objector to Brexit ever since the referendum, and in June 2018 he resigned as a minister at the government’s handling of the withdrawal.
While he may be just one man, his defection has made a monumental difference.
So There Will Be a General Election in October?
If the Brexit delay bill passes in the House, a general election is pretty much a formality.
Under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, Boris would need the support of at least 66% of the 650 MPs that rule this land in order for a snap election to take place within the five-year term.
The Lib Dems would be game for an election, make no doubt, whereas Labour might be more reticent given their performances in the polls.
Boris is rooting for an election because, simply, he knows he would win. That would give him the mandate he needs to make Brexit happen.
Johnson has said that ‘the people of this country will have to choose’, while Labour’s Keir Starmer retorted by saying he and his party will ‘not dance to Boris Johnson’s tune’.
Jeremy Corbyn has said he won’t support a general election until the spectre of No Deal has been taken off the table, however, as it stands, a general election will likely take place on October 15.
The bookmakers have compiled their odds, and they make it an odds-on chance that the next election takes place in October (4/6), and that the Conservatives will win the most seats (2/5).
