The Catch-up: Theresa May's Brexit plan thrown into complete turmoil

What happened?

The House of Commons Speaker has thrown Theresa May’s Brexit plan into turmoil by ruling she can not put her divorce deal to a new vote unless it changes. In a dramatic intervention on Monday, John Bercow said she cannot keep bringing her Withdrawal Agreement back to Parliament while it remains ‘substantially the same’. It is widely thought Mrs May has been trying to strong-arm MPs into supporting her deal as the prospect of a ‘no deal’ Brexit looms ever larger.

What this means

The move by the Speaker is controversial and it will have a substantial impact on Brexit – which is due to take place on 29 March. Citing a law which dates back more than 400 years and prevents MPs voting repeatedly on the same issue, Mr Bercow told Mrs May she must go back to the EU and get more concessions before she can ask MPs to vote on it again.

The PM was expected to bring her motion back to the Commons for a third time on Tuesday, a week after it was defeated by 149 votes. But Mr Bercow has torpedoed her plan, telling MPs, ‘I have never been pushed around – I’m not going to start now.’

The European Commission’s president, Jean-Claude Juncker, said last week that the deal on the table was the EU’s final offer. All this means the most likely outcomes are either Britain crashing out with no deal, or a longer Brexit delay.

Read more about this story
Bercow deals major blow to MP’s strategy (HuffPost)
Bercow’s ruling blindsides Theresa May (The Guardian)
Bercow’s ruling changes everything. Here’s why (Independent)

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