- The House of Lords is pushing a vote to prevent a parliament shutdown
- Such a shutdown could otherwise be used as a tool to push no-deal Brexit by the next prime minister
A no-deal Brexit has been a reasonable possibility ever since the controversial vote was cast in 2016 but it has been a possible outcome that has been dreaded by both sides of the British political system with former Prime Minister Theresa May fighting relentlessly to make sure a no-deal Brexit didn’t happen and also several prominent British politicians urging the incoming Prime Minister to avoid a no-deal Brexit at all cost.
Ahead of the announcement of the new British Prime Minister in the next week, the House of Lords has put their weight behind a movement that will prevent the Prime Minister from suspending Parliament in order to push a no-deal Brexit as reported on July 17.
House of Lords allies with Labour to prevent No-Deal
This new movement will go through members of Parliament for a vote this Thursday after a previous vote defeated the government by 272 volts to 169. One of the reasons this is so crucial is because Boris Johnson, who is the front-runner in the race, has stated that he will not rule out suspending Parliament to make sure the October 31 deadline is met with or without a deal which is in contrast to Jeremy Hunt, who is his direct rival in the prime minister race.
The suspension which will involve closing parliament in the run-up to Brexit day in order to prevent them from blocking it, has been deemed constitutionally improper by the Labour Party and several Lords have now entered into a cross-party agreement to make sure no suspension can come in the form of an amendment to a bill or restoring a devolved government in Northern Ireland.
Just the last week, a bill was amended by members of Parliament that would require Prime Ministers to give a report to Parliament throughout October on progress to restore the devolution. The end goal of this is that it will make it more difficult for Parliament to potentially be shut down and this new move by Parliament will make sure the report must be physically debated in the House of Commons so that the suspension cannot take place. Should this pass in Parliament, it will be a crucial step to preventing the dreaded no-deal Brexit.
Ferry gridlock feared as Brexit approaches
A no-deal Brexit has significant implications for all aspects of British life such as the business world as cross-channel ferry companies have stated that there will be gridlock around British ports and they will not allow any trucks to board Ferries bound for France if a no-deal Brexit takes place.
Many UK exporters do not hold proper documentation for this as the free trade agreement is still in place but should a no-deal Brexit take place, it will be nullified.
