Kerry McCarthy Labour MP for Bristol East
Last night, I voted with 328 colleagues from across the House of Commons to take control of today’s order paper to try and prevent a disastrous no-deal Brexit. It means that at 3pm, after Boris’ first Prime Minister’s Questions and the Spending Review, we will debate the European Union (Withdrawal) (Number 6) Bill 2019 put forward by Hilary Benn.
The Bill seeks to ensure that the UK does not leave the European Union on October 31st without a deal, unless Parliaments consents. I am expecting it to pass through all of its Commons stages today, so that it can be sent to the House of Lords tomorrow – where Government peers are already working to try and frustrate its speedy passage.
Should the Bill pass the Commons tonight, the Prime Minister has already laid his motion for a general election, which needs two-thirds of MPs to vote for it under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act. I will not be voting for that motion at this stage, as Boris simply cannot be trusted not to take us off the cliff edge once Parliament is dissolved for an election.
Today’s events will be very fast moving, but please rest assured that I’ll be voting for the Bill and doing everything I can to champion our continued membership of the EU.
https://www.theguardian.com/…/brexit-crisis-boris-johnson-m…
