Members of the Westminster Parliament are once again voting on a Brexit motion and amendments Thursday evening as both the British government, and parliamentary rebels work to keep hold of, or derail the Brexit process.
The Prime Minister’s so-called neutral government motion which declares “discussions between the UK and the EU on the Northern Ireland backstop are ongoing” will be voted upon after a debate in Parliament, but was rumoured to be the subject of a Brexiteer revolt earlier in the day. Pro-Brexit MPs of the European Research Group had earlier said they could vote against the motion because it eliminates the possibility of a no-deal Brexit, they claim, one of the few remaining potent negotiating advantages the British still hold.
By Thursday evening it seemed the group had softened its stance, deciding to abstain on the vote rather than vote against their own party leader, Sky News reported. The lack of their votes still means the government is likely to be defeated, however, as the Prime Minister’s majority is so slim.
In addition to government business, the speaker of the house John Bercow has also allowed three amendments which members will vote on in turn. The first is Amendment A, tabled by Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn that is intended to require the government to hold another so-called meaningful vote in the next two weeks.
The intended impact of this is to prevent the Prime Minister ‘running down the clock’ — leaving the vote until the very last minute in late March to force Members of Parliament into backing her deal.
Another is an amendment by Conservative pro-remain rebel Anna Soubry, who has tabled a non-binding motion that would request the government release a Cabinet briefing prepared to inform ministers on the perceived impact of no-deal Brexit. Finally, a motion by the Scottish National Party would ask the government to postpone Brexit by three months or more. Again, this would not be binding on the government.
UPDATE 1800 — Associated Press Update
British Prime Minister Theresa May has suffered an embarrassing parliamentary defeat on Brexit as lawmakers remain resistant to her EU divorce plan.
The House of Commons voted 303 to 258 on Thursday against a motion reiterating support for May’s approach to Brexit – support expressed by lawmakers in votes just two weeks ago.
The defeat is symbolic rather than binding stresses how weak her hand is as she tries to secure changes to her divorce deal from the EU in order to win backing for it in Parliament.
The government was defeated when the members of a pro-Brexit faction in the governing Conservatives, the European Research Group, abstained because they feel the government is effectively ruling out the threat of leaving the EU without a deal.
May is struggling with little sign of success to win backing for her deal from both pro-Brexit and pro-EU lawmakers in Parliament, which rejected the agreement by a whopping 230 votes last month.
The U.K. is due to leave the EU on March 29.
UPDATE 1745 — Government motion defeated 258-303
Labour front benchers cheered as they defeated the government’s motion. Responding to the news, Jeremy Corbyn said “once again, the government has been defeated”, and said May could not “keep running down the clock” towards March 29th, chastising the Prime Minister for not being in the chamber for the vote.
UPDATE 1732 — Soubry withdraws her amendment
Tory anti-Brexit rebel Anna Soubry has withdrawn her amendment that would have requested the government publish advice it had received on a no-deal Brexit at the last moment. This reportedly comes after Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Stephen Barclay agreed to discuss the government releasing them without her vote — perhaps a shrewd move on the government’s behalf.
The vote moves swiftly on, therefore, to the government’s ‘neutral’ motion that Parliament recognise that negotiations are ongoing, and the potential for the ERG to inflict a defeat on Theresa May.
UPDATE 1731 — SNP Amendment fails 93-315
Less of a surprise that the SNP’s amendment failed given they only have 35 MPs out of 650 in the house.
Had the vote passed, the amendment would have called on the government to suspend or revoke article 50, the legal mechanism by which the United Kingdom will depart the European Union on March 29th. Under their plan, Brexit would have been put back to June 29th.
The idea is by delaying Brexit by weeks or months it will give the government more time to come to an agreement over the withdrawal — however as has been pointed out several times by key Brexiteers, “delay is code for stopping Brexit.”
Once the legally enshrined date of March 29th is moved and abused, Brexiteers worry, it could be perpetually set back every time it is approached in future, forever kicking the Brexit can down the road until remainer politicians are able to scupper it altogether.
UPDATE 1715 — Corbyn Amendment fails 306 – 322
The Labour Party’s amendment has failed to pass, but only by a very narrow margin. It appears that Theresa May has managed to gather enough votes this evening, despite members of the Eurosceptic European Research Group threatening to vote against the government, or at least abstain in votes.
Had it passed, the motion to the EU withdrawal motion would have called on the government to bring another meaningful vote on the 26th of this month, in effect limiting the Prime Minister’s ability to ‘run down the clock’ on Brexit business.
Next up is Ian Blackford’s SNP amendment.
More follows…