UK lawmakers fail in latest bid to block no-deal Brexit
A group of pro-European Union lawmakers failed on Monday in their latest bid to prevent Britain leaving the bloc without an exit deal, after parliament’s speaker did not choose their proposal to be put to a vote.
Both candidates to replace Theresa May as prime minister have said they would oversee a no-deal Brexit if forced to.
Boris Johnson has pledged to leave the EU with or without a deal on Oct. 31 if he wins while his rival Jeremy Hunt has said he would, if absolutely necessary, go for a no-deal Brexit.
Former Conservative Attorney General Dominic Grieve and former Labour Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett had tabled an amendment to routine finance legislation, dubbed estimates, aimed at cutting off some of the government’s funding if May’s successor pursued a no-deal Brexit against parliament’s will.
If selected, the proposal was expected to be voted on by lawmakers on Tuesday, but at the start of the estimates debate on Monday, the opposition Labour Party said on Twitter that speaker John Bercow had not selected any amendments.
The amendment had sought to deny funds to certain government departments unless parliament has ratified a deal, or Withdrawal Agreement, with the EU, or lawmakers have agreed to Britain leaving without a deal.
It was the latest attempt by lawmakers to try to prevent Britain leaving the EU without a deal. Last month lawmakers defeated an attempt by Labour to try to seize control of the parliamentary agenda from the government in order to introduce legislation aimed at blocking a no deal exit.