After a series of important votes in Parliament last week, the government of the United Kingdom agreed to ask the European Union for a formal extension to the negotiation period and postpone Brexit. Theresa May was hoping to ask Parliament to vote on her proposal one more time tomorrow and then figure out what deadline to request from the EU as she heads into a meeting with the bloc’s leaders on Thursday. The Prime Minister’s plan, however, was put on halt as the Speaker of the House John Bercow said a third vote on the deal as it currently stands would be meaningless and canceled it.
Bercow based his decision to block a third vote on a 17-century Parliamentary ruling that stated that if a proposal is rejected, it cannot be brought to the attention of MPs again until significant changes are made. While defenders of the deal accused him of acting unconstitutionally, many also defended Bercow’s position - the Parliament already rejected May’s deal twice, why would another vote be any different?
Right now it is unclear whether the government will still try to get a third vote on their deal or simply focus on the EU summit. May’s cabinet needs to ask for an extension and justify their desired deadline before EU leaders, as all 27 member states will be voting whether to grant the UK the extension it seeks or not.
