Here Are Range of Brexit Options Being Proposed by U.K. Parliament

By and | January 28, 2019

With U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May refusing to budge from her Brexit position, members of Parliament are proposing a range of amendments demanding a change of direction.

Some overlap and some complement each other. The chances of passage depend on how May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn order their lawmakers to vote.

Here’s a summary of the main options proposed so far. It’s up to Parliament’s speaker to pick which amendments go to a vote.

The Cooper-Boles Delay

Labour’s Yvette Cooper and Conservative Nick Boles are trying to force May to delay Brexit day to avoid crashing out without a deal on March 29. They’re asking Parliament to vote to change its own rules so that, for one day, it can debate a bill which would require May to seek from the EU an extension of Article 50 until the end of the year.

If it’s approved, these are the key dates to watch: Feb. 5, when the legislation would be debated, and Feb. 26, when May would have to ask for an extension if her deal hasn’t been passed.

Chance of passing: High, if Labour supports it. It’s been signed by several Tories who have recently joined the ranks of rebels and are determined to avoid a no-deal Brexit. Boles told BBC Radio on Monday that it has “a great deal of support” among ministers and in Cabinet. The latest Parliamentary order paper lists 103 supporters of the amendment.

Scrap the Backstop

Conservative backbencher Andrew Murrison has submitted two amendments that call for the Irish backstop, the most controversial part of the divorce deal, to be scrapped, or at least rewritten. One calls for a time-limit to be inserted, the other for it to be replaced with “alternative arrangements.”

Rewriting the backstop would make the deal more palatable to a swathe of opponents in the Conservative Party, but the EU has been adamant it won’t renegotiate. Graham Brady, a co-sponsor of the second amendment, said it would prove May’s deal isn’t dead — despite its overwhelming defeat in Parliament earlier this month.

“If my amendment is carried, she goes back to Brussels and says to them ‘you wanted to know what we can get through the House of Commons: this is it,”’ Brady told BBC Radio.

Chance of passing: Medium — depending on whether the government backs them. The amendments have gained support from May allies and high-profile Tories, and there have been hints that government support is possible. A similar amendment wasn’t selected for a vote earlier this month and there’s no guarantee either of these will be.

Labour’s Customs Union Or Second Referendum

Corbyn is demanding Parliament hold a vote on different options. His amendment specifies two: staying in a customs union with the European Union (the model Labour favors), and a second exit referendum.

Chance of passing: Low. Even Conservative politicians who back a second referendum are unlikely to support something with Corbyn’s name on it. And the Labour leader still looks more wedded to trying to force a general election.

Indicative Votes

Labour’s Hilary Benn, who chairs Parliament’s Brexit Committee, wants a series of free-standing votes on the Brexit options, as recommended by his committee. They include a customs union, though not Labour’s exact model.

Chance of passing: Medium to high, depending on whether Labour swings behind it.

Give Parliament Control

Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, a Conservative and leading campaigner for a second referendum, is asking for six days of Brexit debate over February and March when back-bench members of Parliament are in control. The last of those is March 26, three days before Britain’s scheduled departure from the EU. Like the Cooper-Boles plan, this is designed to give rank-and-file politicians power to direct next steps, and could provide for a last-ditch attempt to avoid a no-deal Brexit.

Chance of passing: Medium to high, if Labour supports it. It’s been signed by more than 50 MPs, including Tories who aren’t habitual rebels.

Rule Out No Deal

Former Conservative minister Caroline Spelman has teamed up with Labour’s Jack Dromey to propose an amendment that rules out a no-deal Brexit.

Chances of Passing: High, if selected. The House of Commons already indicated in a vote on a Finance Bill amendment this month that a majority of lawmakers oppose a no-deal Brexit. As of Monday, more lawmakers had put their names to this amendment than any other: 129.

Article 50 Extension

Labour’s Rachel Reeves, who chairs Parliament’s Business Committee, is also calling on May to seek an extension to the Article 50 exit process if she hasn’t gotten a deal through Parliament by Feb. 26.

Chance of passing: Medium to high, depending again on Labour’s position.

Citizens’ Assembly

Labour’s Stella Creasy and Lisa Nandy want an extension of Article 50 to allow a 250-member so-called citizens’ assembly — selected to be electorally representative — to consider Brexit and make recommendations. Former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown has backed the idea in the media.

Chance of passing: Very low. Neither May’s Tories nor the Labour Party support it, and its conclusions would likely immediately be challenged by people who disagreed. Still, the model was adopted by Ireland ahead of its referendum on legalizing abortion.

Second Referendum

Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable is asking for the government to prepare for another Brexit referendum.

Chance of passing: Very low. The proposal has only been signed by Liberal Democrats and is unlikely to be called. If it were, with neither main party’s leadership backing a referendum, this would do well to get more than 200 votes.

Topics Legislation Europe Uk

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