Britain's Queen Elizabeth on Monday gave her Royal Assent to a law that would prevent Prime Minister Boris Johnson from exiting the European Union without a deal.
While the decision to approve the legislation was announced this Monday, the lawmakers voted for the bill last week despite opposition from the government.
#EUWithdrawal6Bill receives Royal Assent. Watch as @LordSpeaker notifies #HouseofLords https://t.co/3K4GA0esJ0 pic.twitter.com/1Njt3Z8Vfo
— House of Lords (@UKHouseofLords) 9 сентября 2019 г.
UK Commons Speaker Vows to Step Down if Parl't Doesn't Vote For Election
John Bercow, Speaker in Britain's House of Commons, announced on Monday that he would quit if lawmakers reject the government's attempt to call an election.
"At the 2017 election, I promised my wife and children that it would be my last. This is a pledge that I intend to keep. If the House votes tonight for an early general election, my tenure as speaker and PM will end when this parliament ends," Bercow told the House of Commons.
He noted, however, that he would stand down even if the parliament rejected the proposal of an early election.
"If the house does not so vote, I have concluded that the least disruptive and most democratic course of action would be for me to stand down at the close of business on Thursday, October 31," Bercow said.
Earlier in the day, Johnson's spokesman urged members of parliament to vote for an early election today to let British voters decide what happens with Brexit.
Last week, Johnson proposed to hold a snap election on 15 October after the parliament convened a meeting to urgently consider a bill aimed at preventing a no-deal Brexit on 31 October.
However, only 298 lawmakers out of required 434 voted for the election with 56 voting against. Opposition MPs said that they would discuss holding snap parliamentary elections only after Johnson agreed with Brussels to postpone Brexit and discussed the terms of the withdrawal agreement.
Johnson has repeatedly stated that he will not allow another delay and vowed to lead the country from the EU by the 31 October deadline, with or without a deal.
In late-August, the prime minister received the Queen's approval to prorogue Parliament until 14 October. Commenting on the decision, Johnson said that the previous session had lasted for 340 days and should be brought to a close.
