The Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston, a leading supporter of the second referendum campaign, has said she intends to put forward a motion calling for a new public vote. ![]() His new motion is less specific and says only that the Commons “insists on an expiry date to the backstop”.ĭowning Street would probably see such an amendment as useful if it did pass, because it would indicate to Brussels how many MPs could be won over if it did allow a time limit. Murrison tabled a similar amendment before the vote on May’s Brexit deal last week, which would have prevented the backstop arrangement from extending beyond 2022, but it was not selected for a vote by the Speaker. Limit the Irish backstopĪndrew Murrison, the chair of the Northern Ireland affairs committee, has tabled an amendment to spell out Brexiter demands for a time limit for the Irish backstop. It calls for MPs to be given the option of a vote on whether to hold a second referendum. The Labour frontbench has put down its own amendment that would give parliament a say on a Brexit deal the party could support, including a full customs union, stronger single market alignment and more robust protection for the environment and workers’ rights. Grieve told the Guardian he thought that was a constitutional step too far. The six days specified by Grieve could in theory be used to pass primary legislation, but Grieve said that would be difficult and unlikely.Īny bill that required government spending, such as calling a new referendum, would need a “money resolution”, which in turn would need government backing. It is similar to a plan for “indicative votes”, floated by several cabinet ministers including the business secretary, Greg Clark, and the education secretary, Damian Hinds. Grieve has said his amendment is aimed at facilitating a wider debate on the Brexit options. Instead, the motion now allocates specific days for debate, and the dates have been chosen to avoid any clash with the days specified by Cooper in order to pass her bill. Grieve has removed the most controversial aspect of his amendment, seen in one of the leaked drafts, which would have allowed a motion put forward by a minority of 300 MPs from at least five parties – including 10 Tory MPs – to be debated as the first item in the Commons the day after the vote. ![]() The motions would be amendable and have political force. That would give MPs time to debate ideas such as a customs union, Labour’s Brexit plan, a second referendum, no deal and the Norway model. The former attorney general Dominic Grieve has put forward a motion to let backbenchers table different Brexit motions for a full day’s debate on six separate days before the UK leaves the EU: 12 and 26 February, and 5, 12, 19 and 26 March. It is the shortest and simplest of all the amendments tabled so far and does not set out a mechanism for no-deal to be avoided, simply adding to the government’s motion the words “rejects the United Kingdom leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement and a framework for the future relationship”. The Labour MP Jack Dromey and the Conservative Caroline Spelman have tabled an amendment ruling out a no-deal Brexit. ![]() The bill, devised with the Conservative MP Nick Boles, says that if there is no deal in place before the end of February, the government must put a binding motion before parliament to seek an extension of article 50 until the end of 2019.Ī separate amendment has been tabled by Rachel Reeves, the Labour chair of the business select committee, which would directly mandate an extension of article 50, though this amendment would not have the same legal force as that of Cooper and Boles if they manage to pass primary legislation. Without the amendment, the bill would not be given a slot for debate by MPs. Yvette Cooper, the chair of the home affairs select committee, has put down a tightly worded amendment to allow time for a bill that would give parliament the power to support an extension of article 50, which is due to expire on 29 March. ![]() Here are six of the amendments published so far – and others that could follow. Amendments are not legally binding but if any of them get majority support there will be considerable pressure on the government to act according to the will of MPs.Īll amendments will be subject to the Speaker’s discretion and it is unclear how many he will allow to proceed to a vote.
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