Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Bill “will now be paused” after MPs voted against the accelerated timetable for the Brexit Bill. The withdrawal is now subject to weeks of scrutiny.
It was the second vote of the night. The first was a win for the government – a rare occurrence in recent times – when MPs supported Boris Johnson’s withdrawal agreement in principle. This result was notable in that it was the first time MPs have shown their backing for any Brexit deal, but it was soon back to ‘business as usual’ as parliament voted to reject the government’s proposals to railroad the Bill through in just three days.
With the Bill now ‘in limbo’, it’s clear that the 31 October date for leaving the EU will not be met.
EU leaders will now consider whether to grant a delay to the 31 October Brexit deadline and what length it should be. It is possible, if unlikely, that EU members won’t approve the extension and if that’s the case the UK will ‘crash out’, leaving the EU without a deal on 31 October.
With parliament seemingly incapable of reaching agreement over Brexit, a general election is looking increasingly likely. And while all political parties say they would welcome a general election, there is a real possibility that, depending on the result, a general election may resolve nothing at all.
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