A year that began with MPs preparing to vote on Theresa May’s version of the Withdrawal Agreement will end with those same MPs facing a public vote that could finally decide the Brexit debate.
Yesterday, following months of stalemate, the UK parliament bowed to the inevitable by allowing a General Election to take place on Thursday 12 December. Although not the only issue that voters will be considering before placing their vote, Brexit is expected to dominate the campaign ahead.
The EU’s willingness to extend the Brexit deadline until 31 January 2020 was enough to persuade opposition parties that the possibility of a no deal outcome has sufficiently receded to allow the poll to take place.
The fact that the main parties involved are all standing on very different Brexit pledges will make for a fascinating campaign and a myriad of possible outcomes.
The Conservatives want to leave the EU with the Withdrawal Agreement renegotiated by Boris Johnson earlier this month, and want to gain a workable majority in parliament to ratify it before the new deadline.
Labour are promising to renegotiate a very different and ‘softer’ deal with the EU if it wins. It then proposes to hold a new referendum early in 2020 with its deal and remain as the options available to voters.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats are proposing to revoke Article 50 and halt Brexit, whilst the Brexit Party are calling for a ‘clean break’ Brexit which would effectively equate to a no deal outcome. The SNP and Plaid Cymru will stand in Scottish and Welsh constituencies respectively, both on an anti-Brexit agenda, as will the Green Party across the UK.
So, with parliament due to be dissolved next week and the poll date set for the first December election since 1923, get ready for more Brexit twists and turns ahead.
