Nationalists’ Westminster leader reveals SNP: If we can’t stop
The Westminster leader of the SNP yesterday revealed plans to halt Brexit in its tracks.
Ian Blackford said the party’s MPS would put forward an amendment to the Brexit deal before a crucial House of Commons vote.
He said the move to pause Article 50 would give time to allow negotiation for the “least-worst option” of the UK staying in the single market and customs union. The vote by MPS on the Brexit deal is anticipated to take place before Christmas – possibly in early December, before the next European council summit on December 13. However Theresa May is continuing her battle to win support after telling MPS it is her deal, no deal or no Brexit.
Brexiteers plotting to remove her insist they are close to winning enough support for a vote of noconfidence among Tory MPS but observers do not believe they have the numbers to win it.
Mr Blackford told The Sunday Post: “I haven’t seen what the government are bringing forward, but I want to put down an amendment that will give the opportunity to extend Article 50 to pause the process.
“The reason for that is to allow time for the Commons to vote on the proposition of staying in the single market and customs union and obviously giving that determination to the government that they will have to take back to Brussels.”
Blackford said the aim would be to effectively suspend the plan to leave the EU on March 29 next year. He said: “The one thing I have argued, and the Scottish Government has argued, is that the least-worst option is staying in the single market and the customs union.
“I have long held to the view you can secure a majority for that in the House of Commons.
“In terms of what we want to do that is for us that is the single most important issue.”
He added: “There is neither willingness to support the Prime Minister’s plan, nor any support in a material sense for a no deal.
“So we are trying to come up with a position the Commons can support. It is really about making sure there is time for the Government and the EU to agree that is how we will move ahead.”
Last month the UK Government released a memorandum which said the Brexit deal vote should not be automatically subject to amendments. It hoped to have the deal approved and only then let MPS debate amendments.
EXPERTS LOOK AHEAD
Blackford along with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable and Plaid Cymru’s Liz Saville Roberts wrote a letter to May last week calling for guarantees of a “meaningful vote” on the terms of Brexit.
The letter raised concerns about the final vote being constrained in an “attempt to muzzle Parliament”.
Blackford said conversations with ministers had now indicated the Prime Minister had accepted the need for amendments.
He said: “It looks like we are going to have amendments which we can put down to the meaningful vote.”