The Daily Parker

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Long night in London

The House of Commons have just finished slogging through 10 amendments to a bill tabled by Labour MP Hilary Benn that would prevent the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal, and have started voting on the "third reading." If the ayes have it, the bill would then pass out of the House of Commons and go to the "other place" (the House of Lords) for passage. After that, the Queen would give her Royal Assent, and Bob's your uncle.

And to underscore how weird all of this is, an amendment passed by accident (because the government didn't put "tellers" in the No lobby, never mind what that means for the moment) that mandates the failed Theresa May deal lurch back to life in the next Parliament.

No one has a good handle on how Lords will vote, or how long it will take, though there was talk of putting a time limit on the Lords' debate so the bill can possibly receive Royal Assent before Parliament prorogues next week.

Earlier today, in his first Prime Minister's Questions, PM Boris Johnson didn't answer any questions put to him by the opposition. It was quite a show. And like another head of government on this side of the Atlantic, Johnson demonstrated his lack of respect for his own office and for the institution of Parliament.

The vote is just in as I'm writing this: Ayes, 327; Nays, 299. The ayes have it, the ayes have it. Unlock!

Now Commons will now consider Boris Johnson's motion to hold an election in October, which will not be agreed because the Benn bill hasn't got Royal Assent yet.

Comments (1) -

  • David Harper

    9/5/2019 8:34:53 AM +00:00 |

    It was a longer night in the House of Lords, where Hilary Benn's "No no-deal Brexit" bill went after passing its first reading in the Commons.  There was an attempt to filibuster it in the Lords, but that collapsed in the small hours of Thursday morning, and it looks like the bill will pass the Lords by the end of Friday.  It could be law by early next week.

    www.theguardian.com/.../brexit-lords-agree-to-push-through-bill-preventing-no-deal-by-end-of-friday

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