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May goes back to Brussels after Brady amendment wins vote
With only 58 days to go until Brexit, MPs have passed an amendment which will send Theresa May back to Brussels to attempt to get changes to the Irish border backstop.
The ‘Brady amendment’ promises to find “alternative arrangements” to the backstop, the most controversial point of Theresa May’s Brexit deal, and means that the prime minister now has a two-week deadline to resuscitate her Brexit deal.
Within moments after the amendment was voted through in the Commons with a majority of 16, European council president Donald Tusk dismissed the possibility of renegotiation, with a spokesman saying: “The backstop is part of the withdrawal agreement, and the withdrawal agreement is not open for renegotiation.”
However, the PM was given renewed confidence on an evening that also saw her defeat the Cooper-Boles amendment, tabled by Labour’s Yvette Cooper. Speaking on Tuesday, May said: “It is now clear that there is a route that can secure a substantial and sustainable majority in this house for leaving the EU, with a deal.”
EU and Macron rule out backstop renegotiation
In the lead up to the Brady amendment being passed in the Commons on Tuesday, French president Emmanuel Macron said that there will be be no renegotiation of the Irish backstop, in a blow to Theresa May’s chances of renegotiating the key point in her Brexit deal.
The comments came after the Brady amendment, which would see the government return to the EU seeking legal changes to the Irish border backstop, was passed in the Commons.
Speaking on Tuesday, Macron said that the withdrawal agreement reached between the UK and EU last year, including the backstop, “is the best accord possible. It is not renegotiable”, adding that a no-deal Brexit scenario is one that “no one wants but we should all prepare for.”
EU officials also said on Tuesday that they were getting ready to release a statement dismissing further negotiations, if the amendment was passed.
“The EU27 and the commission have already prepared a reaction in case the Brady amendment passes this evening saying they will not renegotiate the withdrawal agreement,” an official told Bloomberg.
Within moments after the amendment was voted through in the Commons with a majority of 16, European council president Donald Tusk dismissed the possibility of renegotiation, with a spokesman saying: “The withdrawal agreement is, and remains, the best and only way to ensure an orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union,”
“The backstop is part of the withdrawal agreement, and the withdrawal agreement is not open for renegotiation.”
Some Brexit amendments win, some amendments fail
Parliament saw the success and failure of several Brexit amendments on Tuesday, most notably the Brady amendment, which sees the PM returning to parliament. Which amendments succeeded, and which failed?
The Brady amendment
What is it?
It promises to find “alternative arrangements” for the Irish border backstop, sending the PM back to Brussels to renegotiate.
What was the result?
It won: 317 votes to 301 – a majority of 16.
The Cooper-Boles amendment
What is it?
A motion to force the government to ask to extend article 50, if no-deal looks inevitable.
What was the result?
It failed: 321 votes to 298 – a majority of 23.
Spellman amendment
What is it?
It “rejects the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a withdrawal agreement and a framework for the future relationship” i.e. no-deal.
What was the result?
It won: 318 votes to 310 – a majority of eight.
Reeves amendment
What is it?
Again, it forces the government to ask to extend article 50.
What was the result?
It failed: 322 votes to 290 – a majority of 32.
Grieve amendment
What is it?
It would ensure MPs get the time to debate and vote on Brexit amendments.
What was the result?
It failed: 321 votes to 301, a majority of 20.
Former Labour given three-month jail sentence
Former Labour MP Fiona Onasanya has received a three-month jail sentence for lying to police to avoid a speeding ticket.
The 35-year-old was clocked going 41mph in a 30mph zone in the village of Thorney, near Peterborough, in July last year.
The prosecution also alleged that Ms Onasanya then went on to collude with her brother Festus to avoid a speeding ticket.
A judge told Ms Onasanya she had “not simply let yourself down, you have let down those who look to you for inspiration, your party, your profession and Parliament.”
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