This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/sep/04/brexit-crisis-boris-johnson-mps-bill-blocking-no-deal-eu-no-deal-parliament-politics-live

The article has changed 29 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 16 Version 17
Brexit: MPs pass bill to prevent no deal amid confusion over amendment to put May's deal back on table – live news Brexit: Boris Johnson calls for a general election after MPs pass bill aimed to prevent no deal – live news
(32 minutes later)
Conservative MP Nigel Evans accuses Labour of “running scared’ of a general election after having spent two years asking for one.
His colleague Craig Mackinlay says many Labour MPs seem to crave EU vassalage and that voters have waited long enough. Says this parliament serves no further purpose. “It’s time for a general election,” he says.
Blackford says the SNP does not trust the prime minister because of his “contempt for democracy”. “He has treated this House and the country with contempt.”
He then calls the government “shambolic and irresponsible”.
Blackford says nobody voted for a no-deal Brexit as it was not on the ballot paper, and challenges the Tories to “shout us down, as you tried last night”.
The PM should quit the stunts, he says. The SNP is “ready to bring down the Tory government” to give Scotland a chance, and ready to work across the house in order to determine their own future.
“It should be Scotland’s right to decide its own future.”
Ian Blackford has just called on the PM to sack Dominic Cummings and to bring Ken Clarke in instead.
He says the Benn bill is designed to remove the cliff edge.
“It is the SNP’s top priority to avoid no deal,” he says.
Ken Clarke, who lost the Conservative party whip last night, is now speaking and is calling for “more time” to find a solution with the EU. He says it may be desperate to find a deal, but not desperate enough to wreck the customs union and to mess up the situation in Northern Ireland.
Jeremy Corbyn has responded to the PM. Theresa May, he said, at least made detailed speeches.
“This PM claims he has a strategy, but can’t tell us what it is, [...] and he can’t tell the EU either. [...] There really is absolutely nothing there.”
Corbyn says PM knows there is no mandate for no deal.
He says parliament must decide whether to throw this government out.
“If he has a Brexit plan, he should put it before the public in either a referendum or a general election.”
Evening everyone. Boris Johnson is now speaking.
So far, much of it sounds almost identical to his speech earlier in the Commons.
He says the Benn bill is essentially one that ends the negotiations, “hands control to our partners.“
There’s only one way forward and the house has repeatedly voted to leave the EU, he says.
“Today [parliament] has voted to stop, to scupper any serious negotiations,” he says. He adds that the purpose of the Benn bill is to take away the right of the UK to determine how long it wants to stay in the EU and to hand it to the EU.
He says the country must now decide whether it is him or the leader of the opposition who goes to Brussels.
“Under any circumstances this country will leave the EU on 31 October”, he says.
He calls again for an election on 15 October.
“I think it’s very sad that MP’s have voted like this. I think it’s a great dereliction of their duty.”
MPs have given the Benn bill its third reading by 327 votes to 299 - a majority of 28.MPs have given the Benn bill its third reading by 327 votes to 299 - a majority of 28.
At second reading the majority in favour was 29.At second reading the majority in favour was 29.
That is all from me for tonight. I am now handing over to my colleague Jedidajah Otte who will cover the debate on an early election.That is all from me for tonight. I am now handing over to my colleague Jedidajah Otte who will cover the debate on an early election.
This is from Graeme Cowie, a Commons clerk, on the Kinnock amendment.This is from Graeme Cowie, a Commons clerk, on the Kinnock amendment.
I’m not sure what this amendment actually does. It attaches a purpose for the desired extension, but it doesn’t actually compel the Government (or anyone else for that matter) to actually introduce a Bill.Am I missing something? https://t.co/5ROz1patdxI’m not sure what this amendment actually does. It attaches a purpose for the desired extension, but it doesn’t actually compel the Government (or anyone else for that matter) to actually introduce a Bill.Am I missing something? https://t.co/5ROz1patdx
Here is Labour’s Alex Sobel on the Kinnock amendment division - or non-division.Here is Labour’s Alex Sobel on the Kinnock amendment division - or non-division.
The amendment in the name of Stephen Kinnock didn’t have a vote as the Government didn’t provide tellers to count. This meant the amendment went through although the No Lobby was full. This wasn’t an accident you can be assured there’s some skullduggery going onThe amendment in the name of Stephen Kinnock didn’t have a vote as the Government didn’t provide tellers to count. This meant the amendment went through although the No Lobby was full. This wasn’t an accident you can be assured there’s some skullduggery going on
This is from the Labour MP Sarah Champion, who is one of the MPs who signed the Kinnock amendment that has been passed.This is from the Labour MP Sarah Champion, who is one of the MPs who signed the Kinnock amendment that has been passed.
Big big win, my amendment to publish the withdrawal bill passed. We can now have an informed debate and hopefully secure a deal the House can accept. I both astounded and delighted!!Big big win, my amendment to publish the withdrawal bill passed. We can now have an informed debate and hopefully secure a deal the House can accept. I both astounded and delighted!!
MPs are now voting to give the bill its third reading.MPs are now voting to give the bill its third reading.
From Labour’s Jim McMahonFrom Labour’s Jim McMahon
Mays Withdrawal Agreement is coming back...Mays Withdrawal Agreement is coming back...
Here is some comment from journalists on what has just happened.Here is some comment from journalists on what has just happened.
From the BBC’s Laura KuenssbegFrom the BBC’s Laura Kuenssbeg
It looks like the Kinnock amendment to put Theresa May's deal back to the Commons for another vote just went through by mistake.... things are getting very very odd around here indeedIt looks like the Kinnock amendment to put Theresa May's deal back to the Commons for another vote just went through by mistake.... things are getting very very odd around here indeed
From the Spectator’s James ForsythFrom the Spectator’s James Forsyth
So, Theresa May’s Brexit deal has got further tonight—with her out of office—than it ever did with her in office. Strange times…So, Theresa May’s Brexit deal has got further tonight—with her out of office—than it ever did with her in office. Strange times…
From the Mirror’s Pippa CrerarFrom the Mirror’s Pippa Crerar
Has the Government done this deliberately to screw the whole vote?Has the Government done this deliberately to screw the whole vote?
MPs started voting on Stephen Kinnock’s amendment 6. But then, a few minutes into voting, Lindsay Hoyle, announced that the division had been called off because the amendment had been passed - because MPs opposed to it did not put up tellers.
Here is the explanation of what the Kinnock amendment does.
This amendment would set out as the purpose of seeking an extension under article 50(3) TEU the passage of a withdrawal agreement bill based on the outcome of the inter-party talks which concluded in May 2019 – see NC1 for contents of the Bill and Amendment XX for text of the request letter to the European Council.
This means that, if the PM needs to request an article 50 extension (because he has not negotiated a new deal, and MPs have not voted to approve a no-deal Brexit), then getting an extension to pass a version of the Theresa May deal becomes government policy.
Effectively, that means that any Brexit delay would not be a blind delay; it would be a delay to enable a version of the Theresa May going through.
It is not clear whether this has passed by accident - or as a result of some cunning plot.
The Richard Graham amendment (see 7.10pm) was defeated by 495 votes to 65 - a majority of 430.
According to the Lib Dem MP Layla Moran, there are rumours there could be 10 votes on amendments.
Rumours of ten votes. One down...
MPs are now voting on amendments to the Benn bill, which is designed to stop a no-deal Brexit on 31 October. We don’t know yet how many amendments will be put to a vote. Each vote takes about 15 minutes. But it may well be that all amendments get voted down.
After that there will be a vote on the third reading of the bill. The result of this is set to be identical, or almost identical, to the vote at second reading - which was the important vote on principle. The opposition and Tory rebels won the comfortably. (See 5.22pm.)
After the third reading the bill will be ready to go to the Lords.
And then MPs will have a 90-minute debate on Boris Johnson’s motion saying there should be an early election. It may be a lively debate - Johnson is opening for the government - but the opposition will not back the motion, and so Johnson will not get the two-thirds majority he needs under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act for an early election to actually go ahead.
MPs are now voting on the first amendment - amendment 19.
The full list of amendments is here (pdf).
And the full text of the bill is here (pdf).
Amendment 19 has been tabled by the Tory Richard Graham. It is an amendment that is designed to ensure that parliament would get the chance to debate whether it wanted the existing deal after the EU council in October.
Explaining it, Graham told MPs:
There are many of us in this house on all sides who do not want no-deal and yet ... many colleagues have not supported a deal and therefore my simple amendment to the bill today proposes that the amendment requires the government to have a vote on Monday 21st October, the first sitting day after the EU council on a deal - whether it be a new deal or the previous deal and that should that vote be successful and be approved by members of this house, then the government would be required, if they needed more time, to ask for an extension from the EU purely in order to get the legislation through parliament.
It gives us all one last chance to vote for a deal if we do not want no-deal.
Barclay says the EU says it is ready for a no-deal Brexit. But he says there is a difference between having the right regulations in place (where he implies EU preparations are satisfactory) and operational readiness, which he says varies from state to state.
Caroline Flint, a Labour MP backing the Kinnock amendments, tells Barclay in an intervention that many of her colleagues now regret not voting for a Brexit deal. She says she would like both front benches to get this message. Now is the time to move on, she says.
Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, is now winding up for the government. He says the government opposes the bill. He says it is “so flawed” that the government has not even proposed amendments to it.
Referring to the Kinnock amendments, Barclay complains that Kinnock voted against the Brexit deal all three times.
In the debate Paul Blomfield, the shadow Brexit minister, is winding up for Labour now. He says he has some sympathy for the Kinnock amendment, but he argues that it is flawed because, he says, the cross-party talks did not actually reach an agreement on a revised withdrawal agreement text.
The debate on the 29 amendments tabled to the Benn bill has not been especially illuminating. The most interesting ones are those tabled by Labour’s Stephen Kinnock and other, mostly Labour, MPs designed to allow MPs to vote for a version of Theresa May’s deal, incorporating the changes proposed during the cross-party talks.
Proposing his amendments, Kinnock said:
It is a travesty that parliament did not get to vote on the withdrawal agreement bill as it was very different to the former prime minister’s blind Brexit and provided far more clarity on EU and UK relations.