London: British MPs on Wednesday rejected a motion tabled by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to dissolve the Parliament and call a snap election on October 15, handing the 55-year-old Conservative leader his third defeat in less than 24 hours.
The motion failed to garner the required two-thirds majority (434) as 298 members voted in favour of it while 56 opposition MPs dissented at House of Commons.
The latest blow to the ruling Conservative government came hours after parliamentarians passed a bill aimed at preventing a no-deal Brexit. The opposition MPs, including rebel Conservative lawmakers, backed the bill by 327 votes to 299.
Johnson had tabled the motion calling for an early general election on October 15, following which MPs debated on the proposal.
"It is completely impossible for the government to function if the House of Commons refuses to pass anything that the government proposes. In my view and the view of the government, there must now be an election on Tuesday, October 15," he said earlier.
Ahead of the vote, Opposition Labour Party MP Jess Phillips said that she will vote against the motion as the UK was facing a 'national crisis'.
"We are currently in a national crisis. This is not a game...the British public, they think we should be in here doing our jobs," Phillips said.
On Tuesday, lawmakers voted in favour of seizing control of the parliamentary business in a bid to pass the bill that could block a no-deal Brexit. The UK government lost the vote by a margin of 27, with the final count being 301 to 328.
Following this, Johnson ousted 21 MPs from his party after they sided with the opposition and voted to support the motion.
The UK Prime Minister also lost his government's working majority after an MP defected to the Liberal Democrats Party by crossing the well of the House and taking a seat with the members of the opposition party.
Since taking office in July, Johnson has time and again outlined his aim to make the UK leave the EU by October 31 with or without a deal.
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