After desperate government scrambling to prevent the amendment being tabled at all, an amendment to the ‘Business of the House’ motion has been supported by MPs by a margin of 308 to 297 – yet another defeat for a tottering government, with some eighteen Tory MPs supporting the amendment.
The amendment, tabled by Tory backbencher Dominic Grieve, calls on the government, in the event of Theresa May’s deal being defeated on 15 January, to come back for a further meaningful vote within three sitting days rather than the current ’21 plus 7′ the government could take.
However, reports that this means that the government must do so are exaggerated. The motion is not binding, although Theresa May would face political pressure to do so – and political embarrassment if she does not.
SKWAWKBOX comment:
Yet another Commons defeat for Theresa May shows her government’s utter inefficacy. However, anyone who thinks her unlikely to simply try to ignore the will of the House on this matter has forgotten the Tories’ previous readiness to do so and their demonstrated contempt for Parliament.
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