May Close to Amendment Deal With Rebels: Brexit Update
Davis Says Parliament Can't Instruct on EU Talks: Brexit Update
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Negotiations continue between the government and Conservative rebels on the so-called meaningful vote amendment.
Almost There (1:30 p.m.)
May and the group of pro-EU rebels --who agreed not to vote against her on Tuesday in order to change the wording on the amendment -- are said to be close to a deal, according to a person familiar with the negotiations between the two sides.
MP: May Won’t Survive Rejection of Final EU Deal (12:27 p.m.)
As the government tries to draft a legislative amendment on whether Parliament should get a veto over the government’s Brexit deal, and what powers it should have after that, one Tory lawmaker is arguing the question is irrelevant.
Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, told Sky News that if the vote on a deal were to be lost, “frankly there is going to be a new government.”
This is an argument that’s privately made by government officials, that it would be impossible for May to stay in place if the deal she reaches with Brussels were voted down. And to some extent it’s one also accepted by leading Tory rebel Dominic Grieve.
But Grieve says these are the circumstances he wants to avoid: a deal voted down with weeks to go until Britain leaves the EU, the prime minister resigning, and the governing party unable to agree what its policy is.
Dealing with this in an “ad hoc way,” he said on Tuesday, would be “infinitely more damaging” than establishing a procedure now.
Davis: New Amendment to Be Published Today (10:29 a.m.)
Davis says the Brexit compromise amendment being negotiated with Tory rebels, including Dominic Grieve, on the so-called meaningful vote will be published later today. Asked if it will give Parliament control in the event lawmakers reject the final Brexit deal, Davis tells him to “wait and see.”
The rebels thought they might reach agreement on the amendment last night, but this morning said they were still waiting.
Baker: Preparation for No Deal to Be More Visible (10:11 a.m.)
“Over the coming weeks and months, our preparations for what is an unwanted contingency will become increasingly clear,” Brexit Minister Steve Baker tells lawmakers. But he also says he’s increasingly confident of the U.K. getting a good Brexit deal.
Davis Says Parliament Can’t Instruct Negotiations (9:52 a.m.)
Davis says the government cannot accept amendments to Brexit bill that allow Parliament to instruct it on steps to take in an international negotiation. This would be “constitutionally unprecedented,” he says.
To contact the reporters on this story: Tim Ross in London at tross54@bloomberg.net;Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net;Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Heather Harris at hharris5@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Emma Ross-Thomas
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