Today, there will be a vote in parliament on an Opposition Day motion to change parliamentary procedure, to allow the Commons to take control of the procedures relating to all matters regarding the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU.
Usual procedures in Parliament allow for the government of the day to propose legislation or motions and control the timetable. The House of Commons then scrutinise, amend, and ultimately vote for or against these motions and legislation. This stunt from the Labour Party seeks to turn that on its head, and our parliamentary procedures must be protected for the future. For this reason, I will not be going through the voting lobby alongside Corbyn and the opposition parties. This is the same view I took earlier in the year when backbench parliamentarians tried a very similar move, which was ultimately voted down by the House of Commons.
My view on a no-deal Brexit has not changed. I continue to support gaining a deal for our exit from the European Union, and do not support a no-deal exit from the European Union. However, I will not join a blatant party political stunt by the Labour Party that would upend our well established parliamentary procedures.
I believe that if a future Prime Minister seeks to implement a no-deal exit, the Commons should approve or vote down such a move in the usual way. This then protects our parliamentary procedures and prevents an upending of the norms that have been the foundation of our parliament for many years.
---