Reconsider your decision! MP Bill Cash demands John Bercow change mind on vote
BREXITEER Bill Cash demanded John Bercow "reconsider his decision" on whether to allow Boris Johnson to put his proposed Brexit bill to the vote after the Speaker of the House rejected the Government's request.
Brexit: Cash demands Bercow to change his mind on vote
John Bercow claimed there have been no significant changes in circumstances to allow a vote on the proposed Brexit withdrawal agreement Boris Johnson negotiated with the European Union. Brexiteer MP Bill Cash urged the Speaker of the House to "reconsider" his position as he noted legislation requiring the Government to ask for an extension did not succeed in changing the official withdrawal deadline. Addressing Mr Bercow shortly after he announced his decision, Mr Cash said: "In a point of order I made a couple of days ago, I made the point that the law of the land quite unequivocally states that the European Communities’ Act is repealed on exit day on October 31.
"The Benn Act has not done anything yet other than in respect to the letter to change the repeal of the 1972 Act therefore, I would simply argue that the question of whether or not there are issues relating to whether or not the law was being obeyed is not an issue at this stage of the proceedings.
"For that reason, I simply say to you, if I may, would it be possible for you to reconsider your decision because, I’m afraid, the reality is that the law of the land remains as I said last Friday."
The Benn Act, passed in September, forced Mr Johnson to ask for an extension of the deadline if no deal was passed in Parliament following the EU Summit held in Brussels last week.
But Mr Bercow insisted he could not change his decision to respect the different interpretations of the law MPs have.
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The Speaker of the House said: "I thank the Honourable Gentleman, whose experience in the matter and whose prowess as a lawyer I readily acknowledge.
"I hope he won’t take it amiss but if he does it’s a regrettable inevitability when I say that the Honourable Gentleman has put on the record his understanding of the legal position.
"He has said it with crystal clarity as on previous occasions. Other people have a different view of the legal position and the significance of the so-called Benn Act.
"If memory serves me correctly, I did not dwell in my statement upon adherence to the law. I totally understand what the Honourable Gentleman thinks and why. I made clear in the statement the options available to the Government."
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Delivering his decision, Mr Bercow claimed there has been no change in circumstance since Boris Johnson first attempted to hold a vote on his proposed deal as he claimed it would be "repetitive and chaotic" to call a division on the agreement.
The Prime Minister was forced to pull the vote after MPs passed the Letwin Amendment, which would allow Parliament to withhold its agreement to any withdrawal deal until all necessary UK legislation on Brexit is passed.
The Speaker of the House said: "It is hard to see a significant change of circumstances that would warrant a reconsideration on the next sitting day.
"It is a necessary rule to ensure a sensible use of the Houses’ time and proper respect for the decisions that it takes."
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Following the Government’s defeat in the vote on Saturday, the Prime Minister issued an unsigned letter to the EU requiring a further extension to the withdrawal deadline - alongside a second letter in which he explaining his opposition to a delay and a note clarifying the Government complied with the requirements of the Benn Act.
The Benn Act, passed in September, forced Mr Johnson to ask for an extension of the deadline if no deal was passed in Parliament following the EU Summit held in Brussels last week.
Tory Brexiteer Peter Bone hit back at the Speaker, claiming the letter sent to Brussels marked a “significant change” in circumstances since Saturday’s debate on the proposed deal but Mr Bercow rejected the suggestion.
The Speaker of the House continued: “I did not consider, in reaching a judgment on this matter, whether a letter would be sent. The letter was sent on Saturday evening.
“More widely, however, the question of whether it would be a material consideration for the chair whether a minister of the Crown would obey the law – that consideration had not entered my mind as pertinent to my reflection on the matter.”