Boris Johnson fails with third attempt for pre-Christmas election
Boris Johnson has seen MPs oppose his call for an early general election for a third time - which is expected to lead to him making an immediate fourth attempt tomorrow.
The prime minister saw MPs vote by 299 to 70 on Monday night in favour of his demand for the UK to go to the polls on 12 December.
But this was below the threshold of 434 votes he needed, under law, to trigger an early election.
Labour again opposed Mr Johnson's call for an election, with party leader Jeremy Corbyn having ordered his MPs to abstain on the vote.
Yet, despite the prime minister's third defeat, a pre-Christmas election is still a real prospect.
Earlier, Downing Street said it would adopt a joint SNP and Liberal Democrat proposal if Mr Johnson's own motion proved unsuccessful on Monday.