12 June 2019 | UK NEWS
An Opposition Day motion tabled by Labour, proposed by the leaders of the Labour Party, the Liberal Democracts and the SNP (among others), has been defeated in the House of Commons tonight by 309 votes to 298. 10 Conservative Members rebelled against the Government to vote for the motion, while 8 Labour Members likewise rebelled to vote against it.
The motion would have suspended Standing Order 14 on 25 June, thereby removing the Government’s ability to control the Business of the House on that day. As with previous successful motions in March and April this year, it would have enabled MPs from across the House to take control of the Parliamentary agenda for that day and table a motion “in connection with matters relating to the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union”.
It is thought that this opportunity would have been used to propose measures to prevent a future Tory Prime Minister from pursuing a ‘no deal’ strategy in respect of Britain’s departure from the EU.
Elsewhere on the political scene today, Boris Johnson has launched his campaign to accede to the Premiership, pledging to take Britain out of the EU by the end of October at the latest. He said that, in his view, ‘no deal’ should be left on the table as “a last resort”, adding that “after three years and two missed deadlines”, this was now a necessity.
During his speech, he also said: “Delay means defeat, delay means Corbyn. Kick the can again and we will kick the bucket.”
Mr Johnson’s leadership rival, Sajid Javid, also launched his campaign today, saying that Boris Johnson was “yesterday’s news” and positioning himself as a “new kind of leadership” offering a credible plan to deliver Brexit. He said in his speech that “if we’re trying to connect with the next generation and move forward as a country then I think it’s time for the next generation with a bold new agenda.” He added: “That means understanding that we cannot call ourselves a ‘one nation’ party, if there are whole swathes of this country that don’t think that we share their values and their needs.”
In the newspapers today, The Express reports that Dominic Grieve has pledged to leave the Conservative Party and bring down the Government in order to stop ‘no deal’ if necessary, saying that he “would not hesitate” to do so.
The Guardian carries a story reporting that an outgoing senior British diplomat in Singapore has stated that Brexit has ruined the UK’s reputation abroad, commenting on “the lasting damage that has been done to the UK in the eyes of Singaporeans”.
