General election won't take place after Boris Johnson fails to get vote majority

Prime Minister Boris Johnson . Victoria Jones/PA Wire

After legislation designed to prevent a no-deal Brexit cleared the Commons, the Prime Minister told MPs that the country must go to the polls next month to decide who to send to Brussels to ‘sort this out’.

The PM needed a two thirds majority of the house – 434 MPs – to have an election however only 354 MPs voted in total.

56 MPs voted against the election and 298 MPs voted for an election.

After Tuesday night’s vote The Prime Minister faced a backlash over his decision to throw Tory rebels out of the parliamentary party after their disloyalty.

Mr Johnson removed the whip from 21 Conservative MPs after they voted against the Government in order to allow time for the backbench bill to be debated today.

Those sacked include Philip Hammond, David Gauke and Rory Stewart - all of whom were serving in Theresa May's Cabinet just weeks ago. Party stalwarts Ken Clarke and Sir Nicholas Soames, Winston Churchill's grandson, were also dismissed.