Britain set for Dec. 12 election to break the Brexit deadlock

Britain will hold its first December election in almost a century after Prime Minister Boris Johnson won approval from parliament on Tuesday for an early ballot aimed at breaking the Brexit deadlock. After the European Union granted a third delay to the divorce that was originally supposed to take place on March 29, the United Kingdom, its parliament and its electorate remain divided on how, or indeed whether, to go ahead with Brexit.

Johnson demanded a Dec. 12 election after parliament - where he has no majority - frustrated his attempts to sanction the last-minute divorce deal he struck with the EU earlier this month. In a rare parliamentary success for Johnson after a string of defeats, his short bill calling for a Dec. 12 election was approved 438 to 20 in the House of Commons. The bill now goes to the House of Lords.