Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit plan is on hold after the British Parliament passed the Lewtin amendment, which delays the deal and rules out a no-deal Brexit by the end of the month.
The amendment was proposed by Oliver Letwin, a politician who was kicked out of the parliamentary Conservative Party last month for supporting the Benn Act, legislation that would block a no-deal Brexit. The amendment, supported by the opposition parties and passed on Saturday with a 322-306 vote, says the House of Commons would “withhold support” from Johnson’s Brexit plan until all of the legislation required to implement the bill is also passed by Parliament.
As the Benn Act now comes into play, Johnson will be forced to request a Brexit extension until Jan. 31 from the European Commission. However, he has indicated that he may not follow the Benn Act.
“Alas, the opportunity to have a meaningful vote has effectively been passed up. The meaningful vote has been voided of meaning,” he said after the Lewtin vote. “I’m not dismayed by this particular result. The best thing for the U.K. and for the whole of Europe is for us to leave with this new deal on Oct. 31.”
He added, “I will not negotiate a delay with the EU, and neither does the law compel me to do so. Further delay will be bad for this country.”
The House of Commons Twitter account later confirmed that the law mandates the prime minister to ask for a delay after MPs warned him, “You’ll find yourself in court.”
The House of Commons has approved the amended motion on the new Brexit deal agreed between the UK Government and the EU.
The Government must ask for an extension of Article 50 under the Benn Act and set out how it intends to proceed.
Amended motion: pic.twitter.com/6gMpUOSiBz
— UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) October 19, 2019
Johnson’s deal, struck between him and the EU on Thursday, is not dead. Instead, Parliament must pass all the legislation that enacts the deal first. Downing Street indicated on Saturday that it would begin the process straight away by introducing the Withdrawal Agreement bill, legislation that would put Johnson’s Brexit deal into law, to the House of Commons next week. Johnson also said that Brexit legislation will return to the Commons next week.
Johnson’s plan differs from former Prime Minister Theresa May’s in that it removed the possibility of a customs barrier along the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, instead placing a barrier in the Irish Sea. His premiership could be under threat if the deal does not eventually pass, as failure to come up with a plan for Brexit following the shock June 2016 referendum vote to pull out of the European Union cost May her leadership position.
