MPs back Cooper and Letwin plan to stop No Deal and delay Brexit again

MPs backed a controversial plan to force Theresa May to stop a no-deal Brexit in a close Commons vote tonight.

A cross-party manoeuvre hatched by Tory Sir Oliver Letwin and Labour’s Yvette Cooper to force a new law through Parliament in a day look set to succeed after a 315-310 decision in the Commons to allow it to proceed.

If passed by both the Commons and the Lords new the law would require the Prime Minister specifically to ask the EU to delay Britain’s withdrawal beyond April 12 – currently the day we are due to leave without a deal.

The attempt to wrestle control of Brexit by the cross-party Remainers sparked fury among Brexiteers.ADVERTISING

But it has already largely been overtaken by events elsewhere. Mrs May announced yesterday that she would sit down for talks with Jeremy Corbyn or ask the Commons to form a Brexit alternative if they cannot see eye-to-eye.

This means that she has already effectively ruled out a No Deal departure in nine days, because these would both require a longer delay.

Should the bill make it through both the Commons tonight and the Lords tomorrow the final stage would be to get the Queen to give it the formal Royal Assent and become law. Video playing bottom right…Click here to expand to full page

The second reading vote was passed by just five votes tonight, 315 to 310

The second reading vote passed by just five is almost certain to be repeated when MPs vote again after 10pm after the third reading.

But the closeness of the vote suggests that many MPs are uneasy at the backbench attempt to force the Prime Minister’s hand, or see it not as slightly less powerful.

The single-clause Cooper Bill requires the Prime Minister to table her own motion seeking MPs’ approval for an extension to the Article 50 process of Brexit talks to a date of her choosing.

MPs next debate the bill in ‘committee stage’ this evening before the vote on the third reading stage, which is expected at around 10pm.

If it passes this vote the bill then passes to the House of Lords where an identical process takes place.

Should that go to plan without any further changes requested by peers it would then be ready to be sent to the Queen for Royal Assent.

The group behind the Bill, which also includes former Tory chairwoman Dame Caroline Spelman, Commons Brexit Committee chair Hilary Benn, former attorney general Dominic Grieve and Liberal Democrat Norman Lamb, hopes once it has passed the Commons it could be approved by the House of Lords tomorrow and granted Royal Assent in time for the emergency EU summit on April 10.

Ms Cooper, speaking at second reading, said her Bill was still needed because although the PM has signalled she wants to extend Article 50 ‘there is no clear process of how those decisions will be taken’, adding her Bill ‘adds some clarity’.

But Tory Sir Bill Cash, chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee, said the Bill would amount to ‘supplication to the EU’, which he said would be a ‘profound humiliation for the British people’.

He added: ‘As I and others have made clear over the years, it will be decided by Germany, in the council of ministers, and the European Council.

‘I say this is a German Europe, it is run by Germany and that is the bottom line, and that will happen in relation to this decision as well.’

Shadow Brexit minister Paul Blomfield offered Labour’s support while Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay outlined the Government’s opposition, saying: ‘It’s constitutionally irregular.’

John Bercow had earlier broke a tie to rule against holding a third round of Brexit alternative votes on Monday tonight.

MPs were tied for the first time in decades after they voted 310-310 on whether to stage a third day of indicative votes on Monday night.

Labour’s Hilary Benn had tried to amend the rules of the House to stage more votes on alternatives to Mrs May’s Brexit deal – in defiance of Tory rebel Oliver Letwin, who has masterminded the way backbench MPs seized control from the Government.

Mr Bercow said he had to use his casting vote – for the first time in his nine years as Speaker – against the move.

Mr Bercow’s decision is helpful to the Government which may need Monday’s time in the Commons to debate and vote on a new Brexit plan.

It effectively ends rebel control of the Commons following today’s proceedings as Mr Letwin had opted against booking any more days.

Explaining why he broke the tie against the amendment, Mr Bercow said: ‘The rationale .. for the exercising of the casting vote is .. that it is not for the chair to create a majority that doesn’t otherwise exist.’

The main vote on whether today’s rebel control of the Commons can go ahead was won 312-311 – suggesting the Commons is on a knife edge for when draft laws which seek to block a No Deal next week are voted on later tonight.

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