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Friday, 30 August 2019

The need for a new Queens Speech and opportunities to debate Brexit next week + in October either side of the European Summit

There are two issues that have been raised by the decision of the Prime Minister, as agreed to by Her Majesty the Queen: the need for a new Queens Speech, and an opportunity for parliament to debate any matters, including Brexit.

There is ample time for Labour, or other parties, to seek to stop Brexit or to introduce a Vote of No Confidence if they wish to do so. They could, for example, do this next Tuesday, when the House of Commons sits again.

Normally Parliament is prorogued each year in advance of a Queen's Speech. This particular session of Parliament has lasted nearly two and a quarter years – effectively the longest since the English Civil War. We are long overdue a Queen's Speech, and quite understandably a new Prime Minister, and a new ministerial team want to set out a new domestic legislative agenda. Genuinely, all of parliament, from across all political sides, have been waiting for a new Queens Speech since July, when the previous two-year 2017-2019 session ran out. For example, the Labour Leader of the House of Commons, Valerie Vaz MP, called for a new Queens Speech in June of this year in the Commons. For more details on this issue have a read here. 

What are the consequences of the decision in terms of parliamentary time as compared to the normal agenda? MPs will still return to parliament for the new session, which begins next Tuesday, and then break, for the party conference recess. Labour conference will be in Brighton, the Conservatives in Manchester the following week and so on. Again, any political party who wants to bring a vote of No Confidence can do so next week. For more details on such a situation have a read here.

https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/motion-of-no-confidence/

Party conference recess always happens under each and any government. In October, there will be the loss of 3 days business on the 8th, 9th and 10th October. If the Government were committing, as some have argued, "a constitutional outrage", they would be proroguing Parliament until November 1st to ensure that it did not sit between now and November 1st. This is not happening.

Brexit was due to take place on March 31st 2019. Shortly before then the UK Government and the EU27 agreed to delay the Brexit departure date until 31st October 2019. The next European Council is on the 17th and 18th October. The new Prime Minister has already met with President Macron and Angela Merkel and progress has been made to removing the backstop, which remains the chief hurdle to an agreed deal.

The Government has set out a clear timetable, which indicates that if a withdrawal agreement has been reached it would be debated and voted on 21st and 22nd October. This will still give time, both before and after the European Council, to debate Brexit and a potential new Withdrawal Bill. We have already debated Brexit repeatedly; I have voted on three occasions to leave with a deal. It is a matter of regret that Labour, and other opposition parties, have repeatedly blocked the United Kingdom leaving with a deal. It remains both my, and the Prime Ministers, desire for an agreed Deal by way of a Withdrawal Agreement with our partners in the EU.

For too long the deadlock in Parliament has taken the focus away from key domestic issues and I am delighted that Boris Johnson has set out such a bold policy agenda for more police on our streets to tackle violent crime, levelled up school funding, and that the NHS continues to secure the extra £20 Billion it has been promised by this Conservative Government. I accept that not everyone agrees with the result of the 2016 EU Referendum, but I am a democrat and I believe we need to leave the EU and abide by the decision of the Referendum, in light of the assurances given by all political parties, and MPs, both before and after the referendum. I am also of the view that the British people want Brexit sorted and their Government to focus on the domestic renewal of our country.