Innovation in House of Commons could make ‘No’ lobby redundant on Withdrawal Treaty vote

THERE is some speculation now as to whether the British government can get the terms of the Withdrawal Treaty passed in the House of Commons.

In current practice, the Speaker in the House of Commons asks MPs to call out whether they agree or not with an issue, and, where there is no clear result, the Speaker then calls a division, during which MPs troop either side of the Speaker into either the Aye or No lobby.

However, there may be some scope for an innovation to be introduced: a double positive, or double-Aye, without a No lobby.

In this scenario, the Speaker would introduce a specific issue — the draft Brexit Withdrawal agreement, for example — and present two options to the assembled Members of Parliament and they would vote for either Option 1 or for Option 2 and troop into their respective — and carefully labelled — lobby to either side of the Speaker. Or, they could choose to remain mute through abstaining (ie abstentions don’t count).

In respect to the Withdrawal Treaty, MPs could have a choice to vote for the draft Brexit agreement, or instead to vote for withdrawal of Article 50 to remain in the EU. Or, to vote for the draft Brexit agreement, or alternatively to vote for a ‘no deal’ Brexit instead.

The net effect would be to render naysayers redundant through having two Aye options. It’s difficult to register opposition to an issue when the No lobby is no longer there.