An election may be the only way out of the Brexit impasse

The on-again, off-again process took another twist on Tuesday, as Boris Johnson finally won a vote on a Brexit deal in Parliament — only to have his hopes dashed minutes later, when MPs rejected his three-day timetable to rush the legislation through the Commons.Johnson responded by “pausing” the process, while London waits to see whether the EU will grant an extension to the October 31 deadline.Here’s what you need to know on Wednesday.Did Boris Johnson pass his Brexit deal?No, but given the head-scratching complexities of British parliamentary processes, international audiences would be forgiven for thinking he had.Johnson won the first parliamentary vote on the legislation designed to implement his deal. The bill passed the confusingly named second reading by by a decent majority, too — 329 votes to 299. But some Labour MPs who dislike the deal say they voted in favor so that it could move onto the next phase, when amendments can be added.That means things like a softer Brexit, such customs union arrangement can be added and voted on, essentially changing the form of Johnson’s deal entirely.Even without those Labour lawmakers, it’s likely that Johnson just about has a majority for his deal. But for now, it’s a moot point — because Johnson “paused” the legislation when MPs refused to let him rush it through Parliament in three days.And there’s another caveat — Johnson’s vote on his deal was indicative of its level of support in Parliament, but it wasn’t definitive. There still has to be a “meaningful vote” on his pact, and an amendment which passed on Saturday means that every piece of his agreement also needs to be supported in Parliament before Britain can leave the EU.Still, Johnson is justified in celebrating the fact that, for the first time in three years, Parliament has given a show of support to a Brexit plan.Will Brexit be delayed?That seems to be the likely next step in the process.After pledging for months that he would absolutely, definitively deliver Brexit on October 31 — do or die, dead in a ditch and all that — Johnson requested a delay, forced by a law enacted by Parliament earlier this year. EU Council President Donald Tusk has recommended EU leaders accept the request, though the main question is how long the extension will be.As mandated by law, the UK asked for three months, though France — traditionally the bad cop in extension talks — may want a shorter extension. Sources at the French presidency were already expressing exasperation. ” At the end of the week we will see if a purely technical extension of a few days is necessary, so that the British Parliament can finish this parliamentary procedure. But outside these circumstances, an extension intended to buy time or to discuss the agreement again is excluded,” a source told CNN.Any extension would be flexible, allowing the UK to leave sooner if it passes a bill before the end date. Will there be a general election?As we wait for the EU to decide on an extension to the Brexit process, Boris Johnson must decide whether to come good on his pledge to call an election rather than stomach a lengthy delay.If Parliament “gets its way and decides to delay everything,” Johnson told the Commons on Tuesday, “the bill will have to be pulled and we will have to go forward… to a general election.””I will in no way allow months more of this,” Johnson added.His wording left room for a short, technical extension, however — and Johnson may feel he is so close to passing his Brexit deal that a snap poll would be counterproductive.That’s certainly the theory of Labour’s shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who tweeted Tuesday night that “Johnson’s bluff of threatening to call general election tonight was called & ignored.”Johnson has been pushing for an election for weeks, only to be thwarted by Labour — who have said they’ll only go to the polls when no-deal is off the table.