A VOTE on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal has not taken place after Commons Speaker John Bercow refused to allow one. All eyes will now turn to No10’s plan B, when the PM brings back the Withdrawal Agreement Bill to the House of Commons tomorrow. Passing a bill usually takes weeks, but the Government wants to […]
A VOTE on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal has not taken place after Commons Speaker John Bercow refused to allow one.
All eyes will now turn to No10’s plan B, when the PM brings back the Withdrawal Agreement Bill to the House of Commons tomorrow.
Passing a bill usually takes weeks, but the Government wants to fast-track it before October 31.
Tomorrow will be another titanic battle in Parliament with votes on the second reading of the bill and the programme motion – which says how much time MPs will get debating it.
And now Mr Johnson is gearing up for Parliamentary warfare – as MPs are already set to try and wreck it with amendments on a second referendum and on a customs union.
It sets the PM up for a mammoth battle now to ensure his bill goes through the Commons before the end of the month, when he promised to leave.
The EU may give the PM a few days or weeks to get it finished off if the Bill looks on track to go through.
If it looks like Mr Johnson doesn’t have the numbers then they are likely to grant a longer one in order to give time for the country to go to the polls for an election or referendum to break the deadlock.
And if any wrecking amendments do get through Boris would be tempted to pull the bill altogether, plunging Britain into Brexit limbo.
He could try and attempt a No Deal Brexit but will more likely make a push for an election again so he can get the law passed.
The PM will hope he can win more Tory MPs to give him the majority he desperately needs to get Brexit done.
SIR Oliver first burst on to the Westminster scene as a member of Margaret Thatcher’s policy unit in the 1980s.
It was during his tenure with Mrs Thatcher that he devised one of the most unpopular policies of the decade – the Poll Tax.
The local-tax policy saw angry crowds take to the streets of London and eventually toppled Mrs Thatcher’s administration.
As well as his career gaffes, Sir Oliver is also known for another particularly embarrassing incident in his personal life.
He let two men burgle his home in Kennington, South London, in 2002.
In the early hours he was confronted by strangers who asked if they could use his toilet.
Sir Oliver let them in and they quickly searched his house for valuables before running away with a stash of jewellery and the MP’s wallet.
After that embarrassing mishap, the West Dorset MP worked his way up the ranks to become Shadow Chancellor in 2003.
A trusted David Cameron ally, he later became the-then Prime Minister’s “fixer” – after playing a key role in drawing-up the Tories’ 2010 election manifesto.
In 2011, Sir Oliver — by then the PM’s chief policy adviser — was photographed dumping top-secret files on terrorism and national security in park bins near Downing Street.
And he helped push through a motion in September which allowed Remainer MPs to take control of the Commons and pass the Brexit-blocking Benn Act.
On Saturday, MPs backed an amendment tabled by rebel Tory MP Sir Oliver Letwin which means approval of the PM’s deal is withheld until after Parliament has passed the necessary laws to enact it.
That triggered the Brexit-blocking Benn Act, which requires the PM to write a letter to the EU seeking a three-month extension.
He has now sent three letters to the EU – one to comply with the law, and another two saying he doesn’t actually want an extension.
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