Boris Johnson's “Do Or Die” Pledge Fails As Brexit Gets Extended Yet Again

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson may not be “dead in a ditch”—but things still aren’t going great for the embattled Brexiteer. Following a boastful start to his leadership, in which he declared he would deliver Brexit by October 31 “do or die,” Johnson has faced a string of misfortunes as prime minister, as he’s been repeatedly thwarted in Parliament, lost his Conservative Party majority, inspired his own brother to resign, suffered a historic loss in court, and has been completely unable to force through the no-deal Brexit of his dreams. Now, Johnson has faced yet another setback, as the European Union has approved the Brexit extension Johnson had long railed against—and Parliament has shot him down yet again.

The E.U. officially agreed Monday to extend the Brexit deadline by three months to January 31, after Johnson was forced by law to request an extension. (The Prime Minister had previously said he would rather be “dead in a ditch” than do so.) The agreement is a “flextension,” meaning the U.K. can leave earlier if a deal is resolved in time, and European lawmakers said Monday that they hoped the extended time would be used wisely. “Relieved that finally no one died in a ditch,” Guy Verhofstadt, a member of European Parliament and the body’s Brexit coordinator, tweeted Monday. “The uncertainty of Brexit has gone on for far too long. This extra time must deliver a way forward.”

Johnson was forced to go to the E.U. after the British Parliament passed Johnson’s Brexit Withdrawal Bill but refused to force the legislation through on a fast-tracked three day schedule as the prime minister had wanted, citing the legislation’s 100,000 word length. “All we’re asking for is the opportunity to ensure that the deal that was only presented to us last night works for our constituents and works for my local economy—we need slightly more time,” Labour Party M.P. Ruth Smeeth said after the vote. Unable to force through his Brexit bill—which imposes a harder Brexit than the agreement pushed by former P.M. Theresa May—sight-unseen and with little time for adding amendments, Johnson then responded by shelving the bill entirely, putting it on pause rather than allow it to be debated and amended in Parliament.

Now, the P.M.’s strategy to achieve Brexit is through a general election, which, Johnson hopes, will get his Conservative majority back and enable him to push through the Brexit bill as he pleases. But Parliament has, unsurprisingly, failed him once again. The prime minister lost a vote to call a general election Monday for the third time since taking office, as Johnson was unable to secure the two-thirds majority needed to call a snap election on December 12. But there might still be hope yet. Johnson is now expected to follow a plan first set out by the pro-Remain Liberal Democrats Party, which would amend U.K. law and allow an election to be called with a simple majority of votes. “We will not allow this paralysis to continue, and one way or another we must proceed straight to an election,” Johnson said Monday. “The government will give notice of presentation for a short bill for an election on 12 December so we can finally get Brexit done. This House cannot any longer keep this country hostage.”

Though this strategy isn’t without risk, as lawmakers could now add amendments like allowing 16 and 17 year olds or E.U. nationals to vote, it’s far more likely to get Johnson the general election he desires. Despite some sticking points from opposition parties—the Lib Dems are insisting on a December 9 election date before university students leave for holiday break, and the Scottish National Party wants “an absolute cast-iron assurance” Johnson won’t bring back his Brexit bill before the election—the pro-E.U. parties are likely to back the bill, seeing an election as the only way to possibly garner more support in Parliament for a second referendum or canceling Brexit. The left-leaning Labour Party has remained more staunchly opposed to an election on Johnson’s terms, saying that a December election would cause difficulties and suppress the vote, given the ongoing holiday season. The U.K. also gets dark in the mid-afternoon in the winter, making it harder for M.P.s to campaign and voters to head to the polls. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said that he will “obviously look [at] and scrutinize” the election bill, however—and with Labour’s votes potentially unneeded for the bill to pass with a simple majority, they may soon not have a choice. “I think it’s very unwise to be having a general election in the run-up to Christmas,” Shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald told the Guardian. “If it comes, it comes. We will get on with it and we will take our proposals to the people. I doubt the wisdom of holding it at this time of year, it’s not a wise choice.”