‘MPs will vote down YOUR Brexit choice’ Bercow admits Commons could block EU split
POLITICIANS will attempt to block Brexit and ignore the nation’s democratic choice to leave the EU, Speaker John Bercow has claimed.
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The Speaker of the Commons revealed MPs opposed to the nation’s EU exit will be able to see off Brexit at the final hurdle after negotiations have been completed.
While the nation boldly chose to the leave the 27-nation superstate on June 23 2016 the referendum was not legally binding, and MPs are not forced to vote along with the will of the people.
Mr Bercow, a Conservative-aligned neutral force in the chamber, has previously faced the ire of Brexiteers after admitting he voted Remain in the referendum.
But the Speaker has admitted he “absolutely” does not advocate for casting aside the nation’s decision.
He said: “Of course, Members of Parliament are subject to pressures from their parties, from their parties’ whips offices, and possibly their parties in their constituencies, but ultimately they decide how they vote.
“Most of them do indeed decide how they vote and they, of course, recognise they may well have to take the consequences of that vote.
“Of course in the light of the referendum, there are actors on the stage who are very strongly supportive of Brexit who will tend to say, ‘The absolute responsibility now of Members of Parliament is simply to vote this through’, but that is an opinion rather than a constitutional fact.”
The Speaker expects MPs to get a chance to vote on the final deal negotiated between David Davis and Michel Barnier, and has claimed this is when Remainer politicians will strike.
The Buckingham MP continued: “My sense is there will be a lot of people in Parliament who will want to be able to vote on the deal – and there may well be people who say they are simply voting Yes or No to a particular agreement.
“There may well be other colleagues who say well, they want to be able to vote in such a way as to achieve another outcome.
“So there will be some Members of Parliament who say, ‘I want to be able at the end of all this if I’m not satisfied, to say No, to try to persuade other Members Parliament to say No, and to hope that No might delay Brexit or prevent Brexit’.
“Do they have a right to argue that point of view, they absolutely do. Am I advocating that point of view? Absolutely not.”
He added that while he believes the referendum was “not a glorified opinion poll”, Parliament can “do what Parliament wants” when it comes to the final decision.
Mr Bercow said: ‘My position has always been to say, the outcome is legitimate under the rules.
“Parliament then has every right to scrutinise the Brexit process, and Parliament can do what Parliament wants in terms of actions at the end of the process.”
The Speaker claimed the freedom for MPs to scrutinise and potentially undo the Brexit decision “might not be music in the ears of those who advocated taking back control”.