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Boris Johnson's failure to force an early general election last night after Remain-backing MPs united against him has left the Prime Minister in uncharted territory which could ultimately lead to his resignation.

The PM's inability to secure the support he needed to dissolve Parliament has left Downing Street in a precarious position and it must now figure out how to get to the election Mr Johnson wants. 

However, there is a growing feeling that Mr Johnson has been outflanked by Remainers in Parliament and he could ultimately be left with no other choice but to quit.

Will Boris Johnson resign as Prime Minister?

Mr Johnson has said publicly that he will not in any circumstances ask Brussels for a Brexit delay. 

But if Parliament succeeds in passing an anti-No Deal law - something which now looks likely - and if MPs block holding an election until after October 31 the PM could be left staring into the abyss. 

He has reportedly said in private that 'extension means extinction' and that he would rather resign than break his 'do or die' Brexit pledge. 

In such circumstances he would go to Buckingham Palace and tell the Queen to send for Jeremy Corbyn to ask the Labour leader to try to form a new administration.

If Mr Corbyn failed, and no one else was able to secure a Commons majority, an election would have to be called.  

Should it come to pass Mr Johnson would become the shortest serving prime minister in British history - a distinction he is unlikely to want.  

Will the PM ask MPs to vote again on an early election?

The PM has three options to consider before he would likely have to contemplate resigning. 

The first is perhaps his best, and most straight forward, hope of getting to an early election. 

MPs successfully took control of the Commons on Tuesday and backed a draft law yesterday to prevent a No Deal Brexit on October 31. 

That law has now gone to the House of Lords for further scrutiny and could make it onto the statute book, potentially by the start of next week. 

The PM had been using the threat of a No Deal split from Brussels on October 31 as leverage in negotiations with the EU.

The anti-No Deal legislation would force the PM to ask the EU for a delay of at least three months if no agreement has been reached by October 19.

Mr Johnson has already failed to block the law, despite taking the extraordinary step of sacking 21 rebel Tory MPs - including eight former Cabinet ministers. 

Having lost control over Parliament, the PM has declared that he needs a new mandate from the public in an election.

He tried promising the poll would happen on October 15 - leaving plenty of time for a new government to avoid No Deal if it wanted to.

But Remainers do not trust him to stick to the date once they have voted for an election.

Mr Corbyn gave Mr Johnson a glimmer of hope last night by suggesting Labour will vote for an election after the rebel legislation gets Royal Assent - potentially on Monday. 

That would just about leave time for an October 15 vote.  

In those circumstances Mr Johnson could just try to hold another vote at the start of next week on calling an early election.

If the anti-No Deal bill has become law then Labour may be willing to back him, giving him the numbers he needs.

The PM hinted at that possibility last night when he asked opposition MPs to think about the current 'unsustainability' of the Commons overnight and in the coming days.

Could Boris Johnson seek another route to an election?

If Mr Johnson does not believe he can secure the support of two thirds of MPs for an early election he could try a different parliamentary approach. 

He could try to skirt around the Fixed-term Parliaments Act by bringing forward a new draft law proposing an election.  

The bill would only require a simple majority to pass but Downing Street will be wary of such a course of action because it would be open to MPs to try to amend the legislation.  

Remainers have capitalised on the amendments process on numerous occasions in the past and Number 10 will be wary of a repeat performance. 

Could the PM just accept a Brexit delay?

Arguably the least desirable of the four options for Mr Johnson and one he has repeatedly said will not come to pass.  

The PM could merely recognise that he has been out-manoeuvred  by Parliament, and rule out No Deal.

But he has made a 'do or die' vow to get the UK out of the bloc by Halloween and he insists his negotiating strategy would be destroyed without the threat of No Deal.

His political career would be effectively over if he did this, and the Tories could be eaten alive by Nigel Farage's Brexit Party.

Will Jeremy Corbyn let Boris Johnson call an election before October 31? 

The Labour leader said last night that he will back a snap poll once No Deal has been taken off the table.

In theory that could be at the start of next week when the anti-No Deal Bill is expected to be given Royal Assent. 

Mr Corbyn will ultimately back holding an early election but the key question is when he wants one to be held. 

Many in his party believe the poll should only take place after a Brexit delay has been agreed with the EU. That would mean going to the country early in November. 

Some are in favour of the election being held before the October 31 Brexit deadline.

The party is yet to arrive at a definitive decision on an election date. Whatever Mr Corbyn decides will be key because without his Labour MPs Mr Johnson will not be able to get the two thirds of support he needs to trigger a poll. 

What happens when Parliament is suspended next week?

Mr Johnson's plan to send MPs home for five weeks still stands which means he faces a race against time to get an election agreed. 

The PM has said he will prorogue Parliament at some point in the week beginning September 9 which means he will have four days to play with. 

If MPs refuse to back his demands for an early election then he will either have to accept that No Deal has been taken off the table and try to strike deal before October 31 or he will have to choose the nuclear option of resigning.

Could Boris Johnson tempt the SNP to back an election?

Should the PM try to pass a simple law calling an election he would only need a majority to succeed. 

He has 289 MPs which means that if he was able to secure the support of the DUP and the SNP's 35 MPs he could get to the majority he needs. 

The SNP are eager for an early election because they believe Labour's collapse in Scotland and the resignation of Ruth Davidson as Scottish Tory leader have left the field wide open for a clean sweep.

However, the question is whether or not the SNP would be wiling to ditch the Remain Alliance and go its own way. At the moment that feels unlikely. 

Meanwhile, Number 10 will be reluctant about bringing forward a law because of the fact it could be amended.

Could Boris Johnson try to ignore the anti-No Deal law?

Downing Street sources had suggested this was a possibility but the prospect of a PM disregarding the law of the land appears to be far fetched. 

The more likely outcome would be Mr Johnson choosing to resign rather than having to act on the law's instructions and ask Brussels for a delay.