NEW YEAR'S LEAVE
BORIS Johnson has FINALLY won backing in the Commons for a Christmas election tonight as MPs voted for his plan to go to the polls on December 12.
Brits will be given the chance to give the PM a majority to push through his Brexit Bill by the New Year as they prepare to vote in a fresh Parliament in just six weeks' time.
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After Jeremy Corbyn's MPs blocked a vote three times, they finally came out to back his plan tonight by 438 votes to 20.
Britain will now have a December election for the first time in nearly a century - after the Bill is rubber stamped in the House of Lords in the coming days.
MPs cheered the decision and insisted it would finally be their chance to end the gridlock which has paralysed Westminster for months.
Boris Johnson will pound the pavements to secure the majority he desperately needs to get Britain out of the EU as soon as he can.
And there will be several days after the vote for him to try and push the Bill back before a possible New Year's exit.
He told MPs at the 1922 committee tonight there was "no other way forward" than an election because Labour would have "sliced and diced" his Brexit Bill.
And he was confident that his message of "Get Brexit Done" will get through to the people.
But asked if he believes he can secure a majority, he said: "It'll be a tough election and we are going to do the best we can."
This afternoon the PM fought off a plot to move the election date back to December 9.
And several wrecking amendments to try and force votes for EU citizens and 16 year olds failed earlier this evening.
Unlike previous election votes it only needed half of MPs to back it, but at least two-thirds got behind it tonight anyway.
Parliament will be shut down from November 6 ready for the election to take place.
It comes after:
- A plot to give the vote to all 16-year-olds the vote AND EU citizens flopped after it wasn't chosen or voted on
- Nigel Farage pleaded with the Tories to seal an election pact with his Brexit Party
- Boris welcomed 10 ex-Tories including Churchill's grandson back into the party after they were booted out for backing the Remainer No Deal plot
- EU boss Donald Tusk warned that this extension "may be the last" the bloc offer
- Last night the PM's latest attempt to force a festive poll was torpedoed by Labour, making it short of the 434 MPs needed to get it through
- Follow the action with our live blog
The latest poll from Opinium puts the Tories 16 points clear of Labour - setting them on course for a healthy majority with 40 per cent of the vote compared to 24 per cent.
But now Brexit has been officially delayed the Tories could lose a huge chunk of their support - as voters may feel Boris has betrayed them by not taking us out of the EU as he promised.
The Brexit Party and Liberal Democrats will do better out of an election now than if one was held after Brexit had been done and dusted.
Nigel Farage tweeted: "At last the deadlock in parliament is broken, Brexit now has a chance to succeed."
Mr Corbyn said after tonight's vote: "We will now launch the most ambitious and radical campaign for real change that our country has ever seen.
"This is our chance to build a country for the many not the few."
And Jo Swinson vowed if the Lib Dems win she vowed: "the first thing we will do is stop Brexit."
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Boris brings back 10 Tory rebels into the party
By Matt Dathan
BORIS Johnson tonight restored the Tory whip to 10 of the MPs he sacked last month - but key ex-Cabinet ministers were still left out in the cold.
The PM met the 10 in his Commons office to tell them they were welcome back and could stand for the party in the December election.
The list includes Winston Churchill's grandson, Nicholas Soames.
21 rebels were sacked by the PM on a night of high drama last month.
They chose to defy the PM and back a rebel bill, the Benn Act, which forced Boris Johnson to seek a third Brexit extension from the EU.
But the PM left the other 11 ex-Tories out in the cold - including key Cabinet ministers such as the ex-Chancellors Philip Hammond and Ken Clarke, former Justice Secretary David Gauke and serial rebel Sir Oliver Letwin.
Amber Rudd, who resigned in protest at the PM’s Brexit strategy last month, has not been offered the whip back either.
All 10 accepted the whip back, although three of them are standing down at the election.
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Yesterday's extension news means the PM's "do or die" promise to leave the EU by October 31 has now been completely shattered.
Boris refused to resign for breaking his promise, or say sorry, despite saying he would rather be "dead in a ditch" than accept an extension.
It means Britain will be in the EU until January 31 now, or could leave sooner if a deal is passed before then.
A hung Parliament before Labour took office... how the last December election played out
THE last time a December election was held was in 1923 — the same year that Wembley hosted its first FA Cup Final.
Held on the 6th, the result was a hung Parliament and, a month later in January 1924, the first Labour government was formed — with support from the Liberals. Ramsay MacDonald became Prime Minister for nine months, despite the Conservative Party winning the most seats in the vote.
At the time of the election, Brits enjoyed an average salary of £131 and the average house cost just £350 — the equivalent of £20,000 today. It was possible to pick up a pint of milk for just 5p, while a loaf of bread sold for about 2p.
It was also the year Adolf Hitler was arrested for his part in the failed Beer Hall Putsch.
King George V presented Bolton Wanderers the FA Cup after their 2-0 triumph over West Ham during a packed final — famed for the image of a white horse breaking up crowds.
Who would Londoners vote for in a General Election? We hit the streets to find out