- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

UK Parl't Speaker Bercow Blocks New Vote on Johnson's Brexit Deal

© REUTERS / REUTERS TVSpeaker of the House of Commons John Bercow gestures at the parliament
Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow gestures at the parliament - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Previously, the Parliament ordered Prime Minister Boris Johnson to request a Brexit delay despite him successfully negotiating a new Brexit deal with the EU. Johnson refused to sign the request, which was sent to the EU, instead insisting on the previous 31 October divorce deadline.

UK House of Commons Speaker John Bercow has blocked the government's attempt to organise a new vote on the recently renegotiated Brexit deal in the British Parliament.

"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. My ruling is therefore that the motion will not be debated today as it would be repetitive and disorderly to do so", Bercow said.

After rejecting the government's motion to put the deal to a vote, the speaker suggested that the Cabinet should instead try to present the legislation required for the UK to leave the EU under the deal to the Parliament.  Bercow argued that the government has "every opportunity" to have Brexit its way until the 31 October deadline.

The suggestion is in line with earlier demands from lawmakers who opted for delaying the vote on a new Brexit deal until the laws needed for it are presented by the government and successfully passed. The legislators also ordered the prime minister to request a delay to the Brexit deadline up to 31 January, but Boris Johnson defied the demand.

'The Conservatives are Undermined by an Activist Speaker' - Analyst

According to Mark Shanahan, head of the politics department at the University of Reading, Bercow's decision is entirely "in line with Parliamentary precedent that states the same Motion cannot be returned to the Commons for a second time without substantive change".

"This will be a blow to Johnson, but is not unexpected. If the proposed deal returns as draft legislation, it opens it up to scrutiny and likely change by Parliamentarians. That takes away any head of steam the Government has built up since renegotiating the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration with the EU, and means his timetable for leaving on October 31 is under grave threat", he says.

Shanahan adds, "While he may have the numbers for a straight ‘up and down’ vote, the government will now face a series of amendments and will have to win on every one to protect the Boris Deal (and probably his government). With a winning record of one from nine in parliamentary votes under his leadership so far, the odds must be stacked against him. Once again the Conservatives are undermined by an activist Speaker determined to protect the rights of Parliament to hold the government to account”.

Johnson Disappointed

The spokesperson for Boris Johnson said that the prime minister is disappointed by the fact that Bercow decided to discard the chance to "deliver on the will of the British people" with his ruling on the Brexit vote.

Following the Brexit deal vote fiasco, Johnson's government is able to submit a bill with the legislation that lawmakers are requesting later on 21 October and then try to pass it by the 31 October deadline.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier reaffirmed his commitment to get the UK out of the European Union by 31 October after the House of Commons put the vote on his Brexit deal on hold on 19 October. He slammed the lawmakers' decision, arguing that it's not in London's interest to delay the divorce with the EU.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала