Lords keep fudged Kinnock amendment blaming lack of Commons time to debate
The Lords have rejected a bid to remove the Kinnock amendment saying there is not enough parliamentary time to debate it again. Picture: Parliament TV - Credit: Parliament TV
The House of Lords has voted to keep the Kinnock amendment despite the very disorderly circumstances in which it was passed, blaming the 'guillotine of prorogation' for tying the Commons' hands.
The Lords rejected by a majority of 221 a bid to remove the amendment, which obliges a vote on Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement, even though they called it "confusingly drafted" and "legally inoperable".
The amendment, which was made to a bill designed to prevent a no-deal Brexit, was passed automatically when no teller was available to speak for the "no" vote, in circumstances that have been labelled "skulduggery".
WATCH: Passing of Kinnock amendment labelled 'skulduggery' amidst Commons confusionIt was put forward by Labour MP Stephen Kinnock, ringleader of a group of around 19 MPs, many of whom sit in Leave constituencies.
It commits the House of Commons to a debate on Theresa May's final Brexit deal during a Brexit extension to next January.
MORE: Who are the rebel opposition MPs calling for the return of Theresa May's deal?But because of the murky circumstances in which it was passed, Tory peers argued this was a mistake which should be corrected to make clear and effective law.
Brexit minister Lord Callanan said the amendment was "confusingly drafted", contradictory to the aims of the legislation, and "legally inoperable".
You may also want to watch:
For the opposition, Lord Goldsmith said it did no harm to keep it in the bill because there wasn't time to send it back to the Commons for further consideration due to the "guillotine of prorogation imposed by the Prime Minister".
The bid to remove the amendment was rejected by 268 votes to 47.
Most Read
- 1 Liz Truss accused of freeports 'catastrophic blunder' following Brexit deals
- 2 The truth about 'buy British'
- 3 Could Mexican Coke spark a new Coca-Cola cold war?
- 4 Downing Street announces plans to change English voting system following string of Labour victories
- 5 A view from inside the Heathrow petri dish
- 6 Britons living in Spain are being refused Covid jab 'due to Brexit', report claims
- 7 Tories could push for 2023 general election after axing key legislation
- 8 The man the Soviet Union left in space
- 9 Boris Johnson under investigation over luxurious Caribbean holiday
- 10 How Brexit dealt a hammer blow to diplomatic relations
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.
