By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The British House of Commons rejected the prime minister's call for a general election to break the Brexit stalemate.

The House voted Monday on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's election proposal. He wanted elections Dec. 12, and 299 members of the house agreed. But that was not enough to reach the two-thirds majority rules require.

Johnson is expected to try again today with a measure that does not require two-thirds approval.

Johnson has promised to take his country from the 28-member European Union bloc, but he has been thwarted even by members of his own Conservative Party.

The United Kingdom was supposed to leave the union Thursday, and some in mainland Europe had even planned farewell parties.

However, Johnson was forced by a vote in Commons to seek another extension from the EU Council. Now the departure date is Jan. 31, but the country can leave sooner under terms of the agreement if a deal can be reached with Brussels.

The country's public narrowly voted to leave the union, but many concerns have been raised about the chaos that this would cause. A particularly troubling situation is the one at the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland that is part of the UK. Those in the north fear a hard border will be erected because the Republic of Ireland is part of the EU.

Johnson has hoped that a December election would be similar to a second referendum on leaving the EU. He hoped that his party and other parties favoring leaving the EU would accumulate enough seats in Commons to pass any agreement he might reach or to approve departure without a deal.


Related to Costa Rica, on July, as A.M. Costa Rica reported, the government of the United Kingdom signed the American Association Agreement with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panamá.

According to the U.K. Foreign & Commonwealth Office statement, Ambassador Ross Denny signed the agreement in Managua, Nicaragua, together with trade and economic ministers from each of the six Central American countries.

“The agreement will ensure British businesses and consumers benefit from continued trade with Central America after we leave the European Union,” said the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in its statement. “It provides tariff-free trade of industrial products together with liberalization of trade in agricultural food production and fisheries products.”

Consumers in the U.K. will continue to benefit from lower prices on goods imported from Central American countries that are parties to this agreement, such as prawns from Honduras and Costa Rican fruit, said the British government. Consumers in Central America will continue to benefit from lower tariffs on products such as drinks and cars produced in the U.K., it added.

According to Foreign Office authorities, the trading on these preferential terms rather than on World Trade Organization terms will deliver significant savings and help to support British jobs.

The trading relationship between the U.K. and Central America was worth £1 billion in British exports and imports in 2018, the office said reported its statement.

The agreement provides a framework for cooperation and development through political dialogue, increased economic ties and  work on issues like the environment and human rights, reaffirming Britain’s commitment to a close relationship with Central America, the announcement said.

“This agreement is of real importance as we prepare to leave the European Union and strengthen our ties with the rest of the world. It will help provide the certainty business need to be thrive and help turbocharge our economy into the future,” said Jeremy Hunt foreign secretary. “ It has also been achieved thanks to the hard work of U.K. diplomats, and I thank them for their work. We look forward to building on our political and economic ties, with exporters and consumers having the certainty they need to continue trading freely and in confidence abroad.”

This agreement replicates the existing EU-Central America trading relationship to ensure continuity in the trading relationship between the U.K. and Central America when the U.K. ceases to be a member of the EU, said the Foreign Office statement.

According to the Foreign Office, the secured agreements – either signed or agreed in principle - that account for 64 percent of the U.K.’s trade with all the countries with which the U.K. is seeking continuity, should Britain leave the EU without a deal.

“Diageo warmly welcomes the news of a Central America-U.K. Association Agreement,”  said Wilson Del Socorro, global director of government affairs for Diageo PLC. “The free flow of international trade is vital to Diageo as it gives us the opportunity to reach more consumers and markets. Central America is an important export market for Diageo and for Scotch whisky.”

The U.K.-Central America Association Agreement will come into effect when the current agreement between Central America and the EU ceases to apply. This will take place either following an implementation period if the U.K. leaves the EU with a deal, or on Oct. 31 if the U.K. leaves the EU without one, the announcement said.

The U.K. has signed or agreed in principle to 13 trade continuity agreements with 38 countries which include some of the island nation's biggest trading partners. A regularly updated list of all signed agreements is available on the GOV.UK site


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