随着英国议会夏季休会的结束，“脱欧”也迎来了剧情跌宕起伏的“最终季”。British lawmakers defeated Boris Johnson in parliament Tuesday in a bid to prevent him taking Britain out of the EU without a divorce agreement, prompting the prime minister to announce that he would immediately push for a snap election.
“支持我，否则被踢出保守党”当地时间3日，英国下议院以328对301票，通过由多个在野党议员联手发起的动议，成功阻止首相约翰逊在没有和欧盟达成协议的情况下让英国“无协议脱欧”。The government was defeated by 328 to 301 on a motion put forward by opposition parties and rebel lawmakers in Johnson’s party, who had been warned they would be kicked out of the Conservative Party if they defied the government.这328票中，有21票来自保守党议员本身，且许多人是保守党高级成员和前知名部长。这21名倒戈的保守党议员包括前财长菲利普·哈蒙德（Philip Hammond）、二战时期首相邱吉尔的孙子尼古拉斯·索姆斯（Nicholas Soames），以及在下议院担任议员最长时间的肯尼斯·克拉克（Kenneth Clarke）。
Nicholas Soames
此前，约翰逊曾发出警告称，如果有保守党议员试图阻止英国“无协议脱欧”，他们将被逐出保守党，且无法以保守党候选人身份参加下届议会选举。“The chief whip is speaking to those Tory (Conservative) MPs (members of parliament) who did not vote with the government this evening. They will have the Tory whip removed,” the spokesman from Johnson’s office said on Tuesday. The 21 Conservative rebels who now face expulsion from the party include Nicholas Soames, the grandson of Britain’s World War II leader Winston Churchill, and two former finance ministers, Philip Hammond and Kenneth Clarke. 无论如何，如此数量的保守党议员投票反对政府，转而支持反对党，这对刚上任一个多月的约翰逊来说，无疑是一次重大失败。
More than three years after the UK voted in a referendum to leave the EU, the defeat leaves the course of Brexit unresolved, with possible outcomes still ranging from a turbulent no-deal exit to abandoning the whole endeavor.Tuesday’s victory is only the first hurdle for lawmakers, enabling them to take control of parliamentary business.当地时间4日，下议院将进行另一场辩论并再度表决——如果约翰逊政府在10月19日前既无法与欧盟达成新“脱欧”协议，也无法让英国议会同意“无协议脱欧”，则必须向欧盟申请把脱欧限期再度延后3个月，至明年1月31日。On Wednesday they will seek to pass a law forcing Johnson to ask the EU to delay Brexit for a third time until January 31 unless he has a deal approved by parliament beforehand on the terms and manner of the exit.提前大选？
投票结束后，约翰逊立即发表讲话，宣布如果议会4日投票阻止“无协议脱欧”，他将寻求提前举行大选，称这将导致英国脱欧“又一次毫无意义的拖延”。据悉，可能的选举日是10月14日。It puts Johnson in a similar bind to that faced by his predecessor Theresa May, who failed three times to get the backing of lawmakers for the Withdrawal Agreement that she had negotiated with the EU. Johnson took over from her six weeks ago with a promise that his more robust approach would force a better deal out of the EU that would satisfy parliament. 英国原定2022年举行新一届议会选举。依据现行法律，提前解散议会须获得三分之二以上议员投票支持。约翰逊表示——
“I don’t want an election, but if MPs vote tomorrow to stop negotiations and compel another pointless delay to Brexit, potentially for years, then that would be the only way to resolve this,” Johnson told parliament after the vote.
另一方面，工党领导人杰里米·科尔宾（Jeremy Corbyn）表示“乐见选举到来”——
“我已准备好，你们已准备好，大家都已准备好。”
他认为这次是“一代人难觅的为国家前进方向带来真正改变的机会”。Johnson’s government will now seek to hold a vote on Wednesday to approve an early election, most likely on October 14. This would pit the avowed Brexiteer against Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran socialist. In the Brexit maelstrom, though, it was unclear whether opposition parties would support such a move, which requires the support of two-thirds of the 650-seat House of Commons. Corbyn has long demanded an election as the best way out of the crisis, but many of those seeking to prevent a no-deal Brexit say Johnson could time the poll to ensure that parliament cannot prevent an October 31 departure – with or without a deal. After the vote, Corbyn told Johnson that he must get the Brexit delay bill that will be discussed on Wednesday passed before trying to call an election.
此前，根据英国政府与欧盟之间的协议，英国原定2019年3月29日正式“脱欧”。然而，英国与欧盟达成的“脱欧”协议3次遭英国议会否决，特雷莎·梅被迫辞去首相职务，“脱欧”期限也因此推迟至10月31日。The 2016 Brexit referendum showed a UK divided about much more than the EU, and has fueled soul-searching about everything from secession and immigration to capitalism, empire and modern Britishness. It has also triggered civil war inside both of Britain’s main political parties as dozens of lawmakers put what they see as the UK’s fate above that of party loyalty. “脱欧”大戏最终走向如何，让我们拭目以待。
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