The Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow has denied a request by the government to hold a “yes” or “no” vote on its new Brexit deal.
It had been thought that a vote would be held on Monday after it was postponed on Saturday as MPs voted in favour of the Letwin amendment.
Mr Bercow said a motion on the deal had already been brought before MPs in the Commons on Saturday, and so to debate it again would be “repetitive and disorderly”. The Speaker of the Commons said that the decision was based upon a parliamentary convention, thought to date back to 1604.
Mr Bercow said the ruling was needed in order to “ensure the sensible use of the House’s time and proper respect for the decisions that it takes”. He judged that the motion tabled for Monday was in substance the same and had the same circumstances surrounding it as on Saturday.
Following the announcement of the ruling, Labour MP Angela Eagle praised Mr Bercow for the decision, though Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash asked him to ‘reconsider’ his decision.
MPs have to vote on any Brexit deal before it can be passed. Currently, the UK is due to leave the EU on October 31, unless a deal or extension period is agreed before then.
