Just when you thought it was safe to drink mulled wine ... they’re back.
The same politicians who ruined most of 2019 with Brexit chaos are determined to wreck Christmas by calling a snap general election on December 12.
But before, in the name of your sanity/human rights/Strictly Come Dancing, you tune out completely, you should know just how important the election is for the future of Brexit.
If you care about when, how or if the UK leaves the EU, you should vote - and here’s why.
The Window for Brexit May Already Have Closed
The Window for Brexit May Already Have ClosedThe British people have changed their mind about Brexit. Beginning in the summer of 2017, and accelerating in the summer of 2018 by an ever wider margin, British people have said that they voted wrong in the Brexit referendum of June 2016.
British Prime Minister Theresa May says her surprise call for an early election aims to strengthen Britain's hand in its Brexit divorce talks with the
Theresa May has called a general election for June 8 2017 – making a stunning U-turn on her previous position. The Prime Minister previously ruled out an election on the basis that Britain needed “stability” during the Brexit process. So what could a new election actually mean for leaving the EU?
What next for Brexit? Follow key developments, expert analysis and multiple perspectives as the UK edges closer to leaving the EU
Some context ...
Brexit stands at a crossroads.
It won’t have escaped your notice that Leavers and Remainers have been at war since the 2016 referendum result.
Boris Johnson surprised everyone by agreeing a fresh withdrawal deal with Brussels earlier this month.
Reminder: this ‘stage one’ deal only sets out the terms on which the UK leaves, such as border checks, the divorce bill and length of the transition period, and does not sort out trade. The ‘stage two’ future relationship deal will be part of a different set of negotiations once a withdrawal deal is ratified by the UK and EU.
Both Tories and Labour are split over a pre-Xmas election
Boris Johnson on Thursday called for another general election, but in truth he knows he won't get one - yet.Still it was a clever device to distract from the admission he'd rather bury. That he will break his "do or die" promise to leave the EU on 31 October.
After days of uncertainty, Joe Biden has won the US presidential election , BBC projections show. During Donald Trump's four years in office, America's BBC reporters across the globe, from Beijing to Berlin, explain how news of Mr Biden's victory is being received and what it could mean for key US
UK General Election . She could stay on to ensure some stability for Brexit negotiations but some Tory MPs will start moving against her once they are underway. Even though some believe that the polls, having got the 2015 election and 2016 Brexit results wrong, are overstating Labour's figure by
Leave vs Remain: Images of divided Brexit Britain [Photos]
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With the UK's withdrawal from the European Union (EU) experiencing various political complications, having now been delayed up to October 31, 2019, the country has seen increasing public discontent from both Leave and Remain supporters alike. Amidst a general air of uncertainty and ongoing frustration at the government's inability to mobilize a smooth withdrawal from the European bloc, demonstrators on both sides of the political spectrum have taken to the streets to give voice to their discontent. We look at some of the recent protests in pictures.
(Pictured) Anti-Brexit protesters take part in a 'Together for the Final Say' rally in Parliament Square as hundreds of thousands of people marched through central London to demand a public vote on the outcome of Brexit on Oct. 19 in London, England.
The ‘Messy and Angry’ Prospect of Ireland Reunifying
Changing demographics and sentiment signal that the possibility of a reunion is increasing. Yet few are prepared for what that means.Then the unforeseen happened. The United Kingdom voted narrowly to leave the European Union. Suddenly, Northern Ireland—which as part of the U.K. had voted to remain in the EU—was to be taken out of the bloc; the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, an EU member state, would once again be a tangible barrier to movement and trade after a protracted period of near-invisibility. Warnings proliferated of the consequences—economic, security, political—of separating the two sides of the island of Ireland.
This way I can give you an outside view on Brexit . Whether it is about no-deal, the position of the EU, a new deal, May´s withdrawal agreement, a general election , a people´s vote (second referendum) or attempted independences, I will give you my view on latest news. Due to the number of foreign
December’s general election could prove decisive to Brexit — but what will it mean for the pound? Brexit has been the key driver of the UK exchange Conservative victory — Sterling could hit .35. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses his supporters in front of the general election
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Anti-Brexit demonstrators gather after taking part in a "People's Vote" protest march calling for another referendum on Britain's EU membership, in Parliament Square in London, England on Oct. 19.
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A pro-Brexit supporter sports dollar sign sunglasses amid huge anti-Brexit demonstrations across the city in London, England on Oct. 19.
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Demonstrators hold placards and EU and Union flags as they take part in a march by the People's Vote organisation in central London on Oct. 19, calling for a final say in a second referendum on Brexit.
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Protesters cheer during the People's Vote Rally in Parliament Square on Oct. 19 in London, England.
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Brexit supporters stand against a Union Jack while anti-Brexit protests took place across the capital, in London, England, on Oct. 19.
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A man walks past a 'Stop Brexit' placard fixed to railings on Abingdon Street outside the Houses of Parliament in London, England on Oct. 17.
Labour Will Back A Snap Election As Soon As EU Grants Brexit Delay, Corbyn Ally Says
Labour Will Back A Snap Election As Soon As EU Grants Brexit Delay, Corbyn Ally SaysShadow justice secretary Richard Burgon dismissed as “fantasy politics” the idea that an election could be delayed until after a second Brexit referendum was held.
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Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament as MPs return to their duties after prorogation was quashed by the Supreme Court judges on Sept. 25 in London, England.
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Brexit supporters protest outside the Houses of Parliament in London, England on Oct. 1.
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Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament on Sept. 25 in London, England.
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A pro-remain campaigner protests on Brighton Beach on day one of the Labour Party conference on Sept. 22 in Brighton, England.
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Pro-Brexit demonstrators wave the Union flag and hold placards outside the Supreme Court in central London, England, on the second day of the hearing into the decision by the government to prorogue parliament on Sept. 18.
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A man wearing an EU Flag hat plays drums in support of anti-Brexit protesters from a "Stop the Coup" protest outside Downing Street in central London, England on Aug. 31.
Winter Is Coming for Britain's Remainers
For Labour, the Lib Dems and the SNP, a general election would be their final chance of stopping or softening Brexit. It’s an all-or-nothing gamble.December in Britain can be bleak. Town centers may be festooned with Christmas lights, but it’s cold and it gets dark before 4pm in most places, earlier in the north of the country. That explains the unwritten rule in British politics that you don’t hold winter elections. Party activists, who are central to U.K. campaigns, don’t relish knocking on doors. Voters are harder to mobilize. The last election that wasn’t in late spring was 1974.
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Pro-Brexit demonstrators protest outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster in London, England on Sept. 9.
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Liberal Democrat MP Ed Davey poses with Steve Bray of the Stand of Defiance European Movement (SODEM) and pro-remain protesters outside Parliament in London, England on Sept. 9.
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Pro-Brexit protesters hold placards aloft near the Houses of Parliament in central London, England on Sept. 5, 2019.
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An anti-Brexit protestor releases colored smoke outside the Houses of Parliament in London, England on Aug. 28.
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Protestors from the European Movement in Scotland hold a walking vigil on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland on Aug. 28.
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Pro-Brexit protesters at the Churchill statue in Westminster Square in London, England on Aug. 31.
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An anti-Brexit protester reacts during a protest outside Downing Street in London, England on Aug. 28.
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Brexit protesters outside Westminster in London, England on Aug. 28.
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A pro-Brexit activist, with legs covered in sun cream on a scorching day in London, England, holds a 'We Voted Leave' board outside the Houses of Parliament on July 24.
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A young British anti-Brexit protester advises his fellow supporters to disobey police attempts to remove them from Parliament Square in London, England on Aug. 28.
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Pro-EU supporters protest outside the Houses of Parliament on Aug. 28 in London, England.
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Pro-Brexit supporters walk through London, England on Aug. 29.
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A demonstrator waves an EU flag and Union Jack in front of a line of police officers outside Downing Street in London, England on Aug. 28.
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A pro-Brexit campaigner wears the Union flag colours and holds placards as he demonstrates near the Houses of Parliament in central London, England on April 3.
Brexit Is For Ever
Even if Britain leaves the EU at the end of the month, the issue will not go away—much still needs to be resolved.Such is its devilish complexity, Brexit is often portrayed as a game of 3D chess, understandable only to the grandest of grandmasters. Yet, in reality it is far simpler: a tedious game of political Tic-Tac-Toe (or noughts and crosses for our British readers), in which each side is forever countering the last move by their opponents but unable to ever triumph. The winner is, then, not a master strategist, but simply the one who is last to make a mistake.
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Pro-EU demonstrators hold placards and EU flags as they protest outside the Houses of Parliament on April 10 in London, England.
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People walk past EU and Union flags outside the Houses of Parliament in London, England on April 1.
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British politician Nigel Farage takes the stage to speak at a rally at Parliament Square after the final leg of the "March to Leave" in London on March 29.
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Anti-Brexit supporters protest outside the Houses of Parliament in London, England on April 1.
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A pro-Brexit protester holds a sign at a demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament on March 29.
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A far-right protester is detained by police during a pro-Brexit demonstration near the Houses of Parliament in London, England, on March 29.
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A man dressed as Darth Vader poses with a Union Jack near a pro-Brexit demonstration at Parliament Square in London on March 29.
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A young girl waves the European Flag in Green Park, London, during the Put It To The People March on March 23.
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Former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage takes part in the "March to Leave" walk in Mansfield, England, on March 23.
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People hold up placards and European Union flags as they pass Trafalgar Square on a march and rally organised by the pro-European People's Vote campaign for a second EU referendum in central London on March 23.
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Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage addresses marchers from the top of a bus at the start of the 'March to Leave' walk from the village of Linby to Beeston, Nottinghamshire on March 23 in Mansfield.
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EU supporters, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal, participate in the 'People's Vote' march in central London on March 23.
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People gather in Linby for the 'March to Leave' walk on March 23.
Can Jeremy Corbyn defy election expectations again?
Can Jeremy Corbyn defy election expectations again?“We’re going to be annihilated,” said one senior Labour MP. But Mr Corbyn has never shared the fears of many of his tremulous MPs and he is visibly energised by the prospect of getting out of Westminster and back on the road around the UK.
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EU supporters participate in the 'People's Vote' march in central London, England on March 23.
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Pro-Brexit marchers in the village of Linby on March 23.
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People gather to take part in the 'Put It To The People' march on March 23 in London, England.
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'March to Leave' protesters set off from Linby village in Nottinghamshire towards London, England. The 14-day march began in Sunderland on March 16 and will end in the capital on March 29, where a mass rally will take place on Parliament Square.
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Protesters take part in the 'Put It To The People' march on Whitehall on March 23 in London, England.
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Nigel Farage reacts as he arrives at the end of the first leg of the March to Leave campaign on March 16 in Hartlepool, England.
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Pro-Brexit and anti-Brexit protesters hold flags as they demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in London on March 14 as members debate a motion on whether to seek a delay to Britain's exit from the EU.
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Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in London on March 13.
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Pro-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in London on March 13.
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Anti-Brexit demonstrators protest in the rain ahead of the meaningful vote in Parliament in London on March 12.
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Anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray stands holding placards draped in a composite if the EU and Union flag outside the Houses of Parliament in London on March 4.
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Pro-Brexit activists march outside the Houses of Parliament in central London on Feb. 27.
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An anti-Brexit activist from the pressure group Our Future, Our Choice (OFOC) signs the campaign bus before a photocall in central London on Feb. 27.
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An anti-Brexit protester wearing a European Union flag cap, flies European and Union flags outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Feb. 21.
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A remain in the European Union supporter and member of the "Our Future, Our Choice" (OFOC) young people against Brexit organisation campaigning for a People's Vote second referendum on Britain's EU membership poses for photographs after taking part in a protest against a blindfold Brexit on Parliament Square opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, England on Feb. 14.
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A man stands near a 'Leave Means Leave' banner as pro-Brexit activists demonstrate outside of the Houses of Parliament in central London on Feb. 14.
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Caroline Lucas MP speaks during an anti-Brexit protest outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Feb. 13.
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Pro-Brexit activists hold placards and wave Union flags as they demonstrate outside of the Houses of Parliament in London on Jan. 29.
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A pro-Brexit activist (L) holding a placard and wearing a union flag-themed shirt talks with an anti-Brexit demonstrator holding an EU flagas they protest near the Houses of Parliament in London on Jan. 29.
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The Border Communities Against Brexit group hold an anti-Brexit protest on Jan. 26 in Louth, Ireland.
Johnson even managed to do what May couldn’t and got a majority of MPs to back legislation for a Brexit deal in parliament.
But then MPs ripped up his fast-track timetable for the bill, and fearing attempts to soften his deal or trigger a second referendum, Johnson has insisted on a snap general election.
Meanwhile, the EU has agreed to extend the October 31 Brexit deadline to January 31.
But now a general election is to happen, Brexit will be decided by whoever wins power. It is all to play for.
So, what happens if the Conservatives win?
The prime minister has been clear that he will campaign for his deal.
If the Tories win a majority then Johnson will have the means and mandate to take the UK out of the EU on the terms he has agreed with Brussels.
What does his deal include? The UK will leaving the customs union while Northern Ireland will stay aligned with single market regulations on goods.
The UK will also pay a £33bn divorce bill. Johnson has also agreed a “level playing field” commitment for trade talks, which will see Britain closely aligned to EU regulations with some freedom to diverge.
There will be a transition period until December 2020, when critics say the UK could again face a no-deal cliff-edge.
It is worth saying that Johnson has repeatedly refused to rule out a no-deal Brexit, maintaining that while he doesn’t want this outcome it is an option the UK must have.
His deal is also controversial for unionists, who point out the regulatory border in the Irish Sea separates Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.
Proposals for Northern Ireland to give its consent for the plan also involve a simple majority of votes of politicians in Stormont. This has angered some as the Good Friday Agreement, which secured peace in Northern Ireland after the Troubles, stipulates ‘cross-community’ consent from both nationalist and unionist politicians.
After withdrawal, Johnson will look to strike new trade deals, in particular with Donald Trump’s America.
And what about if Labour win?
If Jeremy Corbyn wins the keys to Number 10 Downing Street, it does not mean that Brexit does not happen but it does guarantee a second referendum.
Despite a large rump of Labour MPs and the party’s membership being pro-Remain, the policy is much more nuanced.
Corbyn would renegotiate a softer Brexit deal with the EU, claiming Johnson’s agreement puts manufacturing jobs at risk.
A Labour government would rule out no-deal. It would also seek customs union membership and a close UK relationship with the single market.
This deal would be put to the public in a second referendum versus remain. Labour has said it would legislate for that vote immediately, so it could mean a referendum within the space of a year.
Labour has not said whether it would campaign for the Brexit deal or for Remain.
Corbyn has been hostile to striking any trade deal with America, claiming Trump would aim to cut UK standards and target the NHS.
The Lib Dems could win, right?
Yes, it is possible and should Jo Swinson’s Liberal Democrats do win, Brexit would be cancelled altogether.
In a bid to sweep up Remain voters, Swinson has committed her party to revoking Article 50 and keeping Britain in the European Union.
So, to quote the party’s eyebrow-raising slogan, it would be “b*****ks to Brexit”.
The Lib Dems would have to pull off an extraordinary turnaround in their party’s fortunes to secure a Commons majority, having just 19 out of 650 MPs.
But this may be “the Brexit election” when leaving the EU entirely dominates and really anything could happen.
What if the Brexit Party win?
This is highly unlikely given they are a new party with no MPs but, anything could happen in these strange and wild political times.
If Nigel Farage’s party sweeps the country and wins power then a no-deal Brexit would happen when the Article 50 deadline expires on January 31 if not before.
A no-deal Brexit is pretty much Farage’s only policy.
And what about if nobody wins?
No one party winning a majority at the ballot box means the future of Brexit is unpredictable.
But, judging by the polls, this is one of the likely outcomes.
It means parties would probably go into negotiations over a coalition or confidence and supply arrangement.
During the election campaign, all party leaders will swear blind they will not do deals with any of their rivals. There is a good chance this will change after the votes are counted, however.
The Conservatives have gone into coalition with the Lib Dems in the past but given their Brexit policies are almost polar opposites it is difficult to see this alliance being rebuilt.
Johnson could, however, do a deal with the Brexit Party if Farage takes seats from them or Labour. A Leave alliance would likely mean a hard Brexit and that no-deal will not be off the table during trade talks.
Labour’s natural allies would be the SNP and Lib Dems, but both parties would want to reshape Corbyn’s Brexit policy.
Nicola Sturgeon’s price will be for the UK government to sanction a second referendum on Scottish independence and it is not clear if Swinson’s revoke Article 50 policy is a red line. Both the SNP and Lib Dems have been supportive of a second Brexit referendum in the past, however.
But there is no surefire way of knowing what trade-offs party leaders will make when negotiating a coalition.
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This election is make or break for Boris Johnson and his Brexit dreamBoris Johnson hasn't managed to give us a Brexit Halloween but this week parliament voted to give us a Christmas election instead. 
The Window for Brexit May Already Have ClosedThe British people have changed their mind about Brexit. Beginning in the summer of 2017, and accelerating in the summer of 2018 by an ever wider margin, British people have said that they voted wrong in the Brexit referendum of June 2016. 
Boris Johnson on Thursday called for another general election, but in truth he knows he won't get one - yet.Still it was a clever device to distract from the admission he'd rather bury. That he will break his "do or die" promise to leave the EU on 31 October. 
Changing demographics and sentiment signal that the possibility of a reunion is increasing. Yet few are prepared for what that means.Then the unforeseen happened. The United Kingdom voted narrowly to leave the European Union. Suddenly, Northern Ireland—which as part of the U.K. had voted to remain in the EU—was to be taken out of the bloc; the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, an EU member state, would once again be a tangible barrier to movement and trade after a protracted period of near-invisibility. Warnings proliferated of the consequences—economic, security, political—of separating the two sides of the island of Ireland. 
Labour Will Back A Snap Election As Soon As EU Grants Brexit Delay, Corbyn Ally SaysShadow justice secretary Richard Burgon dismissed as “fantasy politics” the idea that an election could be delayed until after a second Brexit referendum was held. 
For Labour, the Lib Dems and the SNP, a general election would be their final chance of stopping or softening Brexit. It’s an all-or-nothing gamble.December in Britain can be bleak. Town centers may be festooned with Christmas lights, but it’s cold and it gets dark before 4pm in most places, earlier in the north of the country. That explains the unwritten rule in British politics that you don’t hold winter elections. Party activists, who are central to U.K. campaigns, don’t relish knocking on doors. Voters are harder to mobilize. The last election that wasn’t in late spring was 1974. 
Even if Britain leaves the EU at the end of the month, the issue will not go away—much still needs to be resolved.Such is its devilish complexity, Brexit is often portrayed as a game of 3D chess, understandable only to the grandest of grandmasters. Yet, in reality it is far simpler: a tedious game of political Tic-Tac-Toe (or noughts and crosses for our British readers), in which each side is forever countering the last move by their opponents but unable to ever triumph. The winner is, then, not a master strategist, but simply the one who is last to make a mistake. 
Can Jeremy Corbyn defy election expectations again?“We’re going to be annihilated,” said one senior Labour MP. But Mr Corbyn has never shared the fears of many of his tremulous MPs and he is visibly energised by the prospect of getting out of Westminster and back on the road around the UK. 
This election is make or break for Boris Johnson and his Brexit dream 
The Window for Brexit May Already Have Closed 
Both Tories and Labour are split over a pre-Xmas election 
The ‘Messy and Angry’ Prospect of Ireland Reunifying 
Labour Will Back A Snap Election As Soon As EU Grants Brexit Delay, Corbyn... 
Winter Is Coming for Britain's Remainers 
Brexit Is For Ever 
Can Jeremy Corbyn defy election expectations again? 
