Bercow Warns May Not to Put Same Deal to a Vote: Brexit Update

(Bloomberg) -- Commons Speaker John Bercow has warned the government it can’t bring the same deal back for another vote in the Commons -- so the deal will need to change before he allows Parliament to vote for a third time. It comes as Theresa May struggles to secure support for her Brexit deal from her Northern Irish allies, the DUP, as well as rebellious Tories.

Read more: Third Time Lucky for May? Follow Brexit Decision Day Part III

Key Developments:

• Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg says bad deal better than staying in EU, but 23 Tories sign letter to Daily Telegraph suggesting they’ll never back May’s divorce agreement
• May was expected to put her deal back to Parliament this week or next; government was measuring support before deciding
• May is due in Brussels for EU summit later this week

Speaker Warns May On Third Meaningful Vote (3:39 p.m.)

In bad news for May, it looks like Parliament will not be allowed to vote on her deal again unless she gets further changes to it from the EU. And that seems unlikely.

Commons Speaker John Bercow has warned May not to bring back the same deal for another vote in Parliament. If the government wishes to bring forward “a new proposition” for members of Parliament to vote on that would be allowed, he said. May has been weighing up whether to put her deal to another so-called ‘meaningful vote’ on Tuesday.

“What the government cannot do is to resubmit to the House the same proposition or substantially the same proposition as that of last week which was rejected by 149 votes,” Bercow said. “This ruling should not be regarded as my last word on the subject. It is simply meant to indicate the test that the government must meet in order for me to rule that a third ‘meaningful vote’ can legitimately be held in this parliamentary session.”

Bercow pointed out the rule -- dating back to 1604 -- that the same motion shouldn’t be put to a vote repeatedly.

“It is a necessary rule to ensure the sensible use of the House’s time and the proper respect for the decisions which it takes. Decisions of the House matter,” he said. “They have weight. In many cases they have direct effects not only here but on the lives of our constituents."

Govt Doubles Down on MEP Election Threat (12:15 p.m.)

Speaking to reporters, May’s spokesman James Slack also hardened the government’s language about the likelihood of a longer Brexit extension leading to the U.K. holding EU parliament elections.

“If we’re unable to win a meaningful vote this week, then the prime minister will have to seek a longer extension. That will inevitably involve participation in European parliamentary elections.”

May’s Office Says Talks Ongoing With DUP (12 p.m.)

Talks are still ongoing between May’s government and the DUP, her spokesman James Slack told reporters in London just now, reiterating that whether the prime minister’s Brexit deal goes to another vote in Parliament will depend on its chances of succeeding.

Still, the government’s preference is for a short, technical extension to Brexit to pass necessary legislation related to the deal, Slack said -- an indication, perhaps, that the government does still intend to try to get May’s divorce agreement with Brussels ratified.

On the mechanism for how a Brexit delay would work, Slack said the U.K.’s exit date can be altered using a so-called statutory instrument and a single vote in each of the House of Commons and House of Lords.

EU Wants May to Decide This Week on Delay (11 a.m.)

An EU official said that legally, the U.K. doesn’t have to request a delay until just before it’s due to leave the bloc at 11 p.m. London time on March 29.

But for the EU, it’s chiefly a political decision rather than a legal one as to whether to accept such a request, the official said, so it would be best for May to signal her intentions at a summit in Brussels this week, the official said. Leaders would then discuss it; all 27 have to agree if Brexit is to be delayed.

The official was speaking to reporters in Brussels on condition of anonymity as the EU steps up preparations for the summit, which looks set to be dominated by Brexit. The leaders’ discussion will be shaped by events in the U.K. Parliament this week, the official said.

Rees-Mogg Says Bad Deal Better Than Staying (9:30 a.m.)

Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg told LBC radio he “genuinely” hasn’t made up his mind on whether or not to support May’s deal. The DUP’s decision will be crucial to how he votes, he said, because he doesn’t want to see his country “chopped up.” The implication was that if the Northern Irish party backs it, he will too -- and he’s influential enough to bring others with him.

Rees-Mogg also said he would vote against May if he felt a no-deal Brexit was possible, but suggested he doesn’t think it is. “No deal is better than a bad deal, but a bad deal is better than remaining in the European Union,” Rees-Mogg said. “I am concerned that the prime minister, in spite of her previous commitments, is determined to stop no deal.”

Redwood: May’s Deal Is Opposite of Leave (8:45 a.m.)

Former Tory Cabinet minister John Redwood told BBC Radio May’s Brexit deal “violates” the Conservative manifesto in more ways than one, and that “quite a number” of lawmakers share his concerns.

“It’s the very opposite of leave,” Redwood said. “It’s a delay and stay in agreement.” Pressed on how many Tory MPs shared his view, he replied: “It’s a lot of people and it goes far wider than the ERG group,” referring to the pro-Brexit caucus led by Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Taken together with former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s latest Daily Telegraph column, Redwood’s remarks indicate there’s a hard core of Brexiteers who aren’t going to be swayed to vote for May’s deal. That means she’s going to need to secure some Labour votes if she wants to get it through Parliament at the third attempt.

Labour’s Kyle Plans Confirmation Vote Amendment (Earlier)

Labour lawmaker Peter Kyle, who’s been floating an amendment for weeks now that would allow May’s deal to pass through Parliament on condition it’s then put to a confirmatory public ballot, told Sky News he will formally put it forward if May calls a third vote on her deal this week.

Under the plan -- prepared with Labour colleague Phil Wilson -- members of Parliament wouldn’t formally back May’s deal. Instead, they would abstain, allowing it to pass through with the votes of those who do support it. The deal would become law if voters then backed it in a second referendum. But if they don’t, Brexit would be canceled.

“A confirmatory ballot is the opportunity to offer a definitive end to this whole nightmare for the public,” Kyle said, adding that he sees “broad support” from the Labour leadership on the amendment.

DUP Says Backstop Exit Mechanism Needed (Earlier)

Jim Wells, a party official for the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party, said the so-called Irish backstop -- a fallback position should the U.K. and EU fail to strike a trade deal -- “absolutely” remains a red line for the party.

“We see it as a waiting room for constitutional change,” Wells told BBC Radio. “We could find ourselves locked in there forever in effect, and once you get in you can never get out. We have to have a mechanism where we can escape.”

It suggests May’s team has more work to do to persuade the DUP to fall in behind her deal.

Earlier:

May Threatens and Pleads in Bid to Get Brexit Deal Over the Line
Brexit Bulletin: It’s Not the 11th Hour Yet
Brexit Boredom Is No Excuse for Complacency, Pound Is on Notice

--With assistance from Ian Wishart.

To contact the reporters on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net;Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net;Tim Ross in London at tross54@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, ;Emma Ross-Thomas at erossthomas@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs

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