Das von Phil stets unterstrichene Schlupfloch für die Regierung, trotz Ratifizierung eines Deals einen No-Deal-Brexit zu erreichen, indem sie den vollständigen Vollzug der Inkraftsetzung hintertreibe, scheint vom HoC in Angriff genommen zu sein:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/oct/17/eu-leaders-gather-for-summit-as-boris-johnson-scrambles-to-get-backing-for-brexit-deal-politics-liveSpoiler
13:49 Government loses vote on procedure for Saturday that could allow MPs to close Benn Act loophole
The government has lost the first vote on the Saturday sitting. Sir Oliver Letwin’s amendment (see 1.29pm) was passed by 287 votes to 275 - a majority of 12.
Explaining his amendment in the debate Letwin said this would allow the government motion on Saturday to be amended. He implied it would allow MPs to insist on Boris Johnson requesting an extension anyway, and only withdrawing that request when the legislation for his deal has passed.
The purpose of the amendment here is very simple, it is to permit amendments to be moved, if selected by [the Speaker], on Saturday, and be voted upon.
"And that will enable those of us, like me, who wish to support and carry through and eventually see the ratification of this deal, not to put us in the position of allowing the government off the Benn Act hook on Saturday, but only at a time when the bill has been taken through both Houses of Parliament and legislated on."
Letwin was referring to a loophole in the Benn Act which means Johnson only has to send a letter requesting an extension if MPs fail to pass a motion backing a deal by Saturday. In theory they could pass that motion, but then fail to pass the withdrawal agreement legislation, which would mean the UK leaving without a deal on 31 October.
The Letwin amendment should also make it possible for MPs to table an amendment saying Johnson’s deal should be subject to a second referendum. (See 9.13am.)
After the vote on the amendment, the motion as amended was approved without a vote.
Befürchtete Rees-Mogg tatsächlich, Bobbele könnte die Ratifizierung am Samstag durch Philibustern hintertreiben?
Spoiler
13:29
In the Commons MPs are now debating the government business motion saying they sit on Saturday.
Opening the debate Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, said that Boris Johnson would make a statement to MPs on Saturday about the new Brexit agreement. Only after that statement would MPs start the debate on it.
Rees-Mogg said MPs would then vote either on a motion to back the deal, or on one to approve no deal. He explained:
The debate that follows will be a motion to either approve a deal or to approve a no-deal exit.
That debate on one or other of those motions would run for up to 90 minutes under the existing rules of this House.
In the event of a motion to approve a deal, that motion, if passed, will meet the terms both of the European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 2) Act [aka, the Benn Act] and of section 13 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act.
The government has not published the motion it is tabling for Saturday.
The debate is scheduled to last 90 minutes.
Sir Oliver Letwin, the Tory former cabinet minister who has been leading efforts to ensure MPs block a no-deal Brexit, has tabled an amendment to the business motion allowing the debate on Saturday to last longer and also allowing more amendments to be put to a vote.
Rees-Mogg claimed that the Letwin amendment could actually shorten the debate because, if Johnson’s statement went on for hours, under the Letwin procedure there would be less than 90-minutes left for the main debate.
But John Bercow, the Speaker, contradicted Rees-Mogg. He said he had the discretion to allow the debate to over-run and he said there was “no way on Earth” he would let it be shortened in the way Rees-Mogg was suggesting.
Die DUP scheint wirklich angepißt zu sein. Und unterstreicht, daß sie nicht ganz Nordirland, sondern nur "ihre Territorien" vertrete:
Spoiler
12:34
Has the DUP been abandoned by No 10?
Lisa O'Carroll
A view in Northern Ireland is that the DUP have been totally shafted, or “run over by a convoy of juggernauts”, and for once lost out in their hallmark brinkmanship.
This could rise to further tensions in the region, making it vital that there is “no crowing in Dublin”, one source said.
The DUP, which had been the lynchpin in Theresa May’s government, have seen their powerful position rubbed out this morning in Brussels and some in Northern Ireland are saying they believe that this was Boris Johnson’s calculation all along: get a deal and have a general election whether he gets it through parliament or not.
“This has not gone well for the DUP. This is a huge moment for the DUP, and it is going to create huge tensions on the unionist side. Northern Ireland continues to be collateral damage in Brexit,” said the source.
Some believe that the DUP’s statement this morning was about forcing further concessions from Boris Johnson. But the moment the deal was done the door was closed in their face. That said it may well be that Johnson lavishes the DUP/Northern Ireland with a jacuzzi of cash in the next two days to bring them back on board.
The Northern Ireland secretary, Julian Smith, was in Derry recently to discuss the establishment of a new medical school and there has been repeated talk of money for a motorway from Derry to Belfast. But sources say “this is of no interest to the DUP because that is Sinn Féin territory”.
So if the DUP have been sold a dummy pass, how did that happen? Could Dominic Cummings have come up with a cunning plan to persuade them to drop regulatory alignment in exchange for a veto on the deal, a veto that he knew would never get through? That is a question yet to be answered.
Others point out that the DUP took a huge step agreeing to yield on regulatory alignment with the EU and this was not matched by the EU/Dublin.
They felt that this was not recognised by Dublin and they were “very annoyed” when Leo Varadkar made an off-the-cuff remark in Sweden days later that the British public actually wanted to stay in the EU but it was politically impossible.
Auch Corbyn findet den Deal nicht lustig:
Spoiler
11:06
Corbyn claims deal 'even worse than Theresa May's'
The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has issued this statement about the UK-EU Brexit deal. He said:
From what we know, it seems the prime minister has negotiated an even worse deal than Theresa May’s, which was overwhelmingly rejected.
These proposals risk triggering a race to the bottom on rights and protections: putting food safety at risk, cutting environmental standards and workers’ rights, and opening up our NHS to a takeover by US private corporations.
This sell-out deal won’t bring the country together and should be rejected. The best way to get Brexit sorted is to give the people the final say in a public vote.
Am Morgen (9:13) sah das noch etwas anders aus. Falls der Deal abgelehnt würde, brächte er schließlich auch kein Referendum:
Spoiler
9:13
Labour says it would back putting PM's Brexit plan to referendum
On the Today programme Tony Lloyd, the shadow Northern Ireland secretary, has confirmed that Labour would push for a referendum on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. This should not be a surprise - Jeremy Corbyn has been saying for some time that if the country is facing either a no-deal Brexit or what he terms a damaging Tory Brexit, there should be a referendum – but in recent days there has been some uncertainty about what the party would do, because it also wants a general election ahead of a referendum.
But Lloyd said the party would back moves to subject Johnson’s deal to a referendum. He said:
If there is a majority for that deal, and if in turn there is an amendment moved, and that’s put to a confirmatory vote, a public vote, then, consistent with what Labour is saying that any deal ought to go back to the public, then we are almost bound to vote for that amendment ...
It would be very hard for us to support a deal [along the lines proposed by Johnson, with employment rights in the UK potentially falling behind EU standards]. Labour doesn’t have a majority in parliament. It doesn’t necessarily have a blocking minority in parliament. And on that basis if Prime Minister Johnson is able to push through a deal, even a deal that we don’t like, if an amendment were moved to subject that to the test of public opinion, that would be the right thing to do.
With Labour backing a plan to put Johnson’s deal to a referendum, it is possible, although not yet certain, that such an amendment could pass.
But what would happen then? It is almost impossible to imagine circumstances in which the government would agree to put the proposal to a referendum. Inside No 10, a no-deal Brexit is seen as preferable to a second referendum. And legislating for a referendum, and then having a campaign, would probably take several months. This suggests that, for any referendum on Johnson’s plan to actually happen, opposition MPs would have to vote for some sort of interim government to replace Johnson’s.