Speaker deals new blow to Theresa May’s bid to revive Brexit deal
It is the first time in more than a century that a parliamentary speaker has invoked the rule
London — British Prime Minister Theresa May’s bid to get her EU divorce deal through parliament was hit Monday with a bombshell announcement by the speaker, ruling MPs could not vote again on the same proposal they had already rejected. With less than two weeks to go until a potentially chaotic departure on March 29 that could trigger an economic shock, May hoped to twist arms and have another vote on the withdrawal agreement by Wednesday. Her government was scrambling to convince Brexit-supporting MPs to drop their opposition and support the twice-rejected deal. But the speaker of parliament’s lower House of Commons, John Bercow, issued an unexpected ruling that MPs could not be asked to vote again on the same deal in this session of parliament. “What the government cannot legitimately do is resubmit to the house the same proposition, or substantially the same proposition,” he said, citing precedent dating back to 1604. It is the first time in more than a century that a parliamenta...
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