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Blow to Boris: UK MPs vote to delay decision on BoJo’s Brexit deal, insist he now must ask for extension from EU Blow to Boris: UK MPs vote to delay decision on BoJo’s Brexit deal, insist he now must ask for extension from EU
(32 minutes later)
In a defeat for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, UK MPs passed an amendment delaying approval of his deal with the EU. Lawmakers also want Johnson to apply for yet another Brexit extension, which he rejects outright.In a defeat for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, UK MPs passed an amendment delaying approval of his deal with the EU. Lawmakers also want Johnson to apply for yet another Brexit extension, which he rejects outright.
The amendment laid down by former Conservative Cabinet minister Sir Oliver Letwin has been passed by the House of Commons by 322 votes to 306.The amendment laid down by former Conservative Cabinet minister Sir Oliver Letwin has been passed by the House of Commons by 322 votes to 306.
It is now expected that there will be no meaningful vote on Johnson’s Brexit deal on Saturday with the government likely to bring proceedings in the parliament to a premature end. This led to the crucial Brexit vote not taking place on Saturday at all and it’s yet unclear when the MPs will return to the matter. The government wanted to put the deal with the EU to another vote on Monday, but House of Commons Speaker John Bercow said that he would only decide if he’ll allow that to happen at the start of the week.
Because of the conditions of the Benn Act, Johnson will now have to request a three-month delay to Brexit from the EU by the end of Saturday.  “The government is not the arbiter of what is orderly,” Bercow said, referring to the parliament convention that the same question can’t be raised twice during the one session.
Despite the act, Remain MPs had fears that a no-deal Brexit was still a possibility, as passing Johnson’s deal does not guarantee that the UK leaves the EU with a deal on October 31.  The Letwin amendment was designed to close any loopholes in the Benn Act, which aims at preventing the UK from leaving the European Union without a deal. The Benn Act also states that if MPs fail to greenlight Johnson’s deal – hailed by both the PM and Brussels – by the end of Saturday, he has to write a formal letter to the EU asking for a three-month Brexit extension. For now, the UK is scheduled to leave the bloc on October 31.
The amendment means that any support Johnson’s deal gets in a vote in parliament will be withheld until legislation to implement the deal has been passed by the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
On Saturday morning reports suggested that Johnson would pull a vote on his deal if MPs voted in favor of the Letwin amendment.
The government had been expected to bring forward the legislation on Monday.
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