British MPs Vote in Favour of General Elections on 12 December

UK PM Boris Johnson.

(Photo: AP)

British MPs on Tuesday voted in favour of holding general elections on 12 December following Prime Minister Boris Johnson's fourth bid to force an early poll, a day after a similar attempt was rejected by the leaders as the European Union further extended the Brexit deadline until 31 January.

The House of Commons approved the bill by a margin of 430 to 20, paving the way for the general election -- the first in December since 1923.

The UK PM can only hold an early election with the support of MPs, The prospect of an election became more and more likely after the European Union (EU) had agreed on a three-month extension to the 31 October Brexit deadline.

This meant Johnson's "do or die" pledge to leave the economic bloc by Halloween was effectively dead and he was determined to push through an early poll to try and change his current minority figures in Parliament.

After three failed attempts previously, Johnson's succeeded in holding the snap poll as he required only a simple majority of MPs to back him, as opposed to the two-thirds majority under the UK Fixed Term Parliaments Act.