Cross-Party talks under way to postpone Brexit date
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Senior Tory and Labour MPs are planning to force the government to delay Brexit by several months to avoid a no-deal outcome if Theresa May fails to get her deal through parliament in January, the Observer has been told.
Cross-party talks have been under way for several weeks to ensure the 29 March date is put back – probably until July at the latest – if the government does not push for a delay itself. It is also understood that cabinet ministers have discussed the option of a delay with senior backbench MPs in both the main parties and that Downing Street is considering scenarios in which a delay might have to be requested from Brussels.
Cross-party groups of MPs have been considering how to force a delay, if the government does not decide to ask for one itself. One idea is that it could be done by tabling an amendment to a Brexit-related motion that would be put forward by ministers if no deal were agreed by 21 January.
The Labour MP Chuka Umunna, who is campaigning for a second referendum said: “The stark reality is that the principal way of stopping no deal – which is a distinct possibility – is by getting an extension of the article 50 process. The EU is clear – they will grant an extension to allow for a people’s vote, not for further negotiation, so committing to a people’s vote is the way to stop no deal.”
Labour is not, yet, officially calling for a delay but is biding its time to see what happens when parliament returns in the second week in January.
