United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit was approved in principle by the House of Commons on Tuesday, but soon after the governing body rejected his plan to fast-track it within the next three days to meet a crucial Brexit deadline.
British lawmakers voted 322-308 against the three-day timeline, after the House of Commons approved Johnson’s Withdrawal Agreement Bill, The Associated Press reported. Members of Parliament (MPs) said three days was not enough time to review the 110-page bill fully, the BBC reported.
{mosads}Johnson has previously promised to remove Britain from the European Union by Oct. 31, but the elimination of the three-day timetable effectively makes it impossible for him to fulfill that promise, according to the AP.
This leaves the prime minister with the decision to either delay Brexit for a few weeks for the MPs or pull the bill and attempt to have lawmakers vote for a general election to move forward. The EU would have to approve either decision.
Johnson told the House of Commons he planned to “pause” the bill until he had approval from the EU, according to the BBC, adding he is “disappointed” the bill “now faced further uncertainty.”
But the prime minister maintained that the U.K. “should leave the EU on 31 October.”
“One way we will leave the EU with this deal to which this House has just given its assent,” he said.
A spokesperson for the EU Commission told the BBC that it “takes note of tonight’s result and expects the UK government to inform us about the next steps.”
The earliest possible date for an election would be Nov. 28, and Johnson would need Parliament’s support to make that happen.