Parliamentary procedure on Monday got in the way of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal from being voted on by MPs, as Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow cited a 1604 rule of parliament that prevents a motion that is “the same in substance” as one that has been defeated or amended from being voted on again.
Under an amendment passed by parliament on Saturday, Johnson’s withdrawal deal cannot be approved until parliament passes a law on the. Known as the Letwin amendment (named after the MP who passed it, Oliver Letwin, one of the 21 MPs expelled by Johnson in September), it more or less ensures that Johnson will have to ask the EU for an extension on the deadline for Brexit—currently October 31—in order to give enough time for both Houses of Parliament to vote on the deal and complete the lawmaking process.
Bercow took the procedure from parliament’s de facto rulebook, Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice, which was published in 1844 and contains a list of parliamentary procedures as well as the process of how they evolved over time.
Bercow said, “In summary, today's motion is in substance the same as Saturday's motion and the House (of Commons) has decided the matter. Today's circumstances are in substance the same as Saturday's circumstances,” ruling that “therefore that the motion will not be debated today as it would be repetitive and disorderly to do so.”
Under the Letwin amendment, a Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) will have to be hammered out by parliament, that will turn the draft withdrawal agreement with the EU into UK law. The WAB will likely go through many amendments and discussions before it is signed into law (including the possibility that a requirement for a second referendum be added to it, something that Labour MPs Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson have repeatedly lobbied for in parliament).
In addition, the Ponsonby Rule mandates that treaties be laid before the house for at least 21 days before they can be ratified—ruling out the chance that legislation can be drafted before the October 31 deadline.
While the odds of a No-Deal Brexit are now significantly smaller, the additional delay still hinges on the EU agreeing to the same. On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron had said that a Brexit delay was in nobody's interests.
A spokesperson for 10 Downing Street told news agency PA, "We are disappointed that the Speaker has yet again denied us the chance to deliver on the will of the British people."
No comments:
Post a Comment