Benn’s Bill victory makes extension more likely
BORIS JOHNSON could be required to ask for a Brexit extension as MPS passed a Bill to block a no-deal exit.
Last night, opposition MPS and Tory rebels ensured the Bill passed by 327 votes to 299 on its final reading in the Commons. It seeks to force the Prime Minister to ask Brussels for a threemonth delay if he fails to reach a new deal with the EU by Oct 19.
The request would need to be made by the Prime Minister via a letter, which must follow a specific wording drafted in the Bill.
Mr Johnson described the Bill, proposed by Hilary Benn, the Labour MP, as a “surrender Bill”.
Addressing MPS after the defeat, the Prime Minister said the House voted to “scupper” negotiations. He said: “It’s a Bill that effectively ends the negotiations, a Bill that demands an extension at least until next year, and perhaps many more years to come, and a Bill that insists Britain acquiesce to the demands of Brussels and hands control to our partners.
“It is a Bill designed to overturn the biggest democratic vote in our history, the 2016 referendum.”
Mr Benn said the vote signalled a “major defeat for the Prime Minister’s damaging plan to take us out of the EU on Oct 31 without a deal”.
Brexiteer peers will now attempt to filibuster, or talk out, the Bill in the House of Lords. More than 100 amendments have been made to a Labour motion that would have ensured the Bill passes this Friday, in time before Parliament is suspended.
Peers brought duvets, extra clothes and toiletries as they prepared to draw out yesterday’s session through the night and into today. The amendments included a proposal to prioritise a private member’s bill on bat habitation before debating the Brexit Bill.
A Lords spokesman said each amendment would take at least 40 minutes to go though. This would push peers into working through to the weekend before considering the Benn Bill.
Baroness Smith, the leader of the opposition in the Lords, said the 100 amendments could take up the Lords’ time until Saturday.
Last night, Labour whips sought an urgent meeting with the Government to discuss the delay.
If the amendments carry on beyond 10am on Friday, the peers will succeed in cancelling Friday’s sitting altogether, therefore torpedoing the Bill.
Lord Forsyth said he wanted to take action because “a bunch of Liberals and Labour Party people have seized control of the agenda” from the Government.
However, Baroness Altmann, the former pensions minister, accused peers of a “cynical attempt to try to bully Parliament against the will of the Commons”.