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Barnhill, Jura. June 2015. (Thanks to the kindness of the Fletcher family).

The Original Brexit Day: 11 am & 11 pm

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If the Government introduces the Withdrawal & Implementation Bill later today (with business scheduled, unusually, for a Friday sitting of the Commons in light of the Brexit crisis with the delay to the original departure time today at 11 pm) the Leader of the House may, somehow, endeavour to facilitate an alteration to key section 13 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 to allow the Withdrawal Agreement to be passed before 11 pm.

Might the framework for the future relationship, which forms an integral part of the package along with the Withdrawal Agreement, somehow be smuggled through even though - in order to allow a third 'meaningful vote' (MV3)  - it has been separated from the Withdrawal Agreement? (The Withdrawal Agreement being something of a Trojan Horse within which the Political Declaration is secreted?)

The Leader of the House will accord with the Speaker's ruling on MV3 - that has been made explicit - but what is not clear is if or how Section 13 might be altered. However the Leader of the House (Andrea Leadsom) has hinted that the Government may operate "within the spirit" of the Withdrawal Agreement. 

That makes for rather spectral and ethereal parameters of Government maneuvering.

There is a scheduled window at 11 am for Urgent Questions which might be worth watching as that may be a moment when matters have become a little clearer.

How the political machinations will play out remains to be seen but it seems as possible that the Government's deal will be passed before 11 pm (with some cunning procedural tactics) as it is that the ERG & DUP have outflanked the Government to secure a 'no deal' Brexit (by equal cunning) with a pro-Brexit Prime Minister and Cabinet positioned to take up the baton in the subsequent negotiations.

The former may be the front-runner as at this moment but anything might happen in the day's proceedings.

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Barnhill, Jura. June 2015. (Thanks to the kindness of the Fletcher family).

Article 50 Extension and the European Elections


From David Anderson QC:

"The Prime Minister reported to the House of Commons last week that any further extension of the Article 50 notification period “would certainly mean participation in the European parliamentary elections”.  I think she is wrong as a matter of law, and with five distinguished EU law experts (on whom, see further here), have written an Opinion to say so.

https://www.daqc.co.uk/2019/03/28/article-50-extension-and-the-european-elections/