MPs defeat motion seeking to block no-deal Brexit
Source: The Guardian
MPs seeking to take steps to prevent a no-deal Brexit have lost a Commons vote by 309 votes to 298 – a majority of 11 – in a boost to Conservative leadership contenders such as Boris Johnson who are hoping to force the UK’s exit from the EU by 31 October.
The cross-party motion would have given MPs time to begin to pass legislation that may have significantly constrained a future prime minister, but Labour sources said they feared would-be Tory rebels had preferred to hold their fire until they see which candidate was installed.
The vote followed a debate in the House of Commons led by the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, who urged MPs to back the cross-party effort, calling it a “safety valve”, so MPs can begin legislation to stop a new prime minister suspending parliament.
Speaking before the crunch vote on giving MPs control of the parliamentary agenda on 25 June, Starmer said MPs had to seize the opportunity to grant themselves time to stop a no-deal Brexit.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/12/keir-starmer-urges-mps-to-back-safety-valve-to-stop-no-deal-brexit
Circling the drain (anti-clockwise)
