Britain readies for December 12 election as Prime Minister Boris Johnson finally gets his wish

Britain will head to the polls on December 12 for its third election in just over four years after Prime Minister Boris Johnson was finally granted his wish for an early general election.

Mr Johnson won backing in Parliament to trigger the snap vote in an attempt to resolve the Brexit crisis that has paralysed the country, weighed on its economy and left Britons angry and divided.

But at a time of unprecedented political and constitutional upheaval, the outcome will be hard to predict. The UK is still unable to complete its tortured divorce from the European Union and Mr Johnson has failed to get Parliament to ratify his withdrawal agreement.

“There is only one way to get Brexit done in the face of this unrelenting parliamentary obstructionism,” Mr Johnson told the House of Commons yesterday. “That is, Mr Speaker, to refresh this Parliament and give the people a choice.”

The campaign will pit Mr Johnson, the charismatic but controversial Conservative leader who is the face of the pro-Brexit movement, against radical left-wing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who defied pundits and pollsters by nearly winning power two years ago.

“This is a once in a generation chance to build a country for the many, not the few,” Mr Corbyn said on Twitter to announce Labour’s support for the early poll. “It’s time.”

While Mr Johnson is seeking to cash in on his fame and commitment to delivering Brexit, Mr Corbyn offers a socialist alternative of raising taxes on the rich and nationalising railways and utilities.

The last time the country went to the polls, in 2017, Labour and the Conservatives won more than 80 per cent of the vote between them as the smaller parties faded away. But this time, with Brexit still unresolved, both main parties face challenges from marginal movements that have grown in popularity.

On the pro-EU side, the Liberal Democrats have surged in opinion polls and lower-profile elections recently, on their platform of clear opposition to Brexit. That is a threat to Mr Corbyn, in particular, and many of his supporters want him to adopt a clearer anti-Brexit stance.

For Mr Johnson, the main danger comes from notorious euro-skeptic Nigel Farage, who launched his Brexit Party in January to campaign for a clean, quick split from the EU. And with the Prime Minister having failed to deliver his core mission to complete the divorce from the EU by October 31, the door is open to Mr Farage to take votes away from the Conservatives.

On Monday, the EU agreed to postpone Brexit day until January 31 to give Mr Johnson more time to persuade members of Parliament to ratify a deal he struck earlier this month, giving Mr Corbyn the justification he needed to back a poll.

“For the next three months, our condition of taking no-deal off the table has now been met,” Corbyn told his top team on Tuesday, according to a party statement. “We will now launch the most ambitious and radical campaign for real change our country has ever seen.”