• Home
  • About us
  • Contact Us
  • Date/Time
  • Login
  • Subscribe

logo

  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economics & Finance
  • World
  • Arts & Books
  • Life
  • Science
  • Philosophy
  • Subscribe
  • Events
Home
  • Home
  • Blogs
  • Politics
  • Economics & Finance
  • World
  • Arts & Books
  • Life
  • Science
  • Philosophy
  • Subscribe
  • Events
  • Home
  • Politics

What does the Cooper bill vote result actually mean for Brexit?

It passed the House of Commons by only one vote and is now on its way to the Lords. But what is the Cooper-Letwin amendment—and what happens next?

by Prospect Team / April 4, 2019 / Leave a comment
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Email

Cooper proposed the bill to extend Article 50 with Conservative Oliver Letwin—but can it actually prevent a no deal Brexit? Photo: PA

Having passed by only one vote, the Cooper bill—which seeks to legally rule out a no-deal Brexit and force Theresa May to further extend Article 50—is now on its way to the House of Lords.

Backed by Labour’s Yvette Cooper and former Tory minister Oliver Letwin, the bill has cross-party support from various MPs—although there are doubts from others as to both its validity and its efficiency.

What does it propose?

The bill requires the Prime Minister to seek MPs approval for an extension of Article 50 to a future date. Cooper and her colleagues hope to prevent a no-deal Brexit by having May propose a date beyond April 12—the date the UK is currently scheduled to leave.

May has already suggested she would be seeking a further extension, but Cooper says the legislation would provide “more clarity.”

And if May does that, what then?

If the bill passes the Lords—where it will likely face some opposition from Eurosceptics—May would go to Europe to ask the EU27 for an extension. It would be up to them to decide whether or not to grant it.

So it wouldn’t necessarily prevent no deal…

No. To do that, there would need to be a bill passed that said Article 50 would be revoked if the UK reaches the leave date without a deal (this is what Joanna Cherry’s original indicate vote motion suggested, for instance).

Right. So what does the result tell us?

The bill passed the Commons on its third reading by 313-312. Yet even that close result is a relatively successful one—bear in mind that none of the indicative votes has been able to secure a majority in the House.

That the vote came so close on something which the Prime Minister had already suggested she would do—and which falls short of introducing the necessary infrastructure to firmly rule out no deal—speaks more to Parliament’s continuing divisions than anything else.

Going back to what happens next…

The main thing is that nobody can agree on much aside from delaying the point at which an agreement has to be reached.

The electorate is now waiting for something to shift: whether it be support towards May’s deal, towards another option,…

YOU’VE HIT THE LIMIT

You have now reached your limit of 3 free articles in the last 30 days.
But don’t worry! You can get another 7 articles absolutely free, simply by entering your email address in the box below.

When you register we’ll also send you a free e-book—Writing with punch—which includes some of the finest writing from our archive of 22 years. And we’ll also send you a weekly newsletter with the best new ideas in politics and philosophy of culture, which you can of course unsubscribe from at any time







Prospect may process your personal information for our legitimate business purposes, to provide you with our newsletter, subscription offers and other relevant information.

Click to learn more about these interests and how we use your data. You will be able to object to this processing on the next page and in all our communications.

21242100765df002e2e519a0.02929214

Go to comments

Related articles

Lock politicians in a room until they solve Brexit? It's not such a bad idea
Julian Weinberg / August 14, 2019
I've spent ten years working in mediation, including in post-uprising Tunisia. UK...
Forget a government of national unity. To stop no deal, legislate
Raphael Hogarth / August 16, 2019
And do not give Johnson even the slightest wiggle room—he will use it
Share with friends
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Email

Comments

No comments yet

Prospect's free newsletter

The big ideas that are shaping our world—straight to your inbox. PLUS a free e-book and 7 articles of your choosing on the Prospect website.

Prospect may process your personal information for our legitimate business purposes, to provide you with our newsletter, subscription offers and other relevant information. Click here to learn more about these purposes and how we use your data. You will be able to opt-out of further contact on the next page and in all our communications.

This Month's Magazine

Perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus.

Inside the choice facing voters this General Election—and why the commission that regulates our democracy is struggling to keep up. Plus: Clive James on Wittgenstein, and the real story of Corbynism

Subscribe

Most Popular

  • Read
  • Commented

Is the G7 a dead parrot?

Yes, we should return the Elgin Marbles—and all the other spoils of colonialism

Don't compare Douglas Ford to Donald Trump

Brexiteers hoping that Australia will ride to the rescue are in for a nasty shock

Just how special is human existence? The answer could lie in multiverse theory

Ivan Rogers on Brexit: the worst is yet to come

3 Comments

John le Carré's post-Cold War vision is shot through with a sense of longing

2 Comments

How dare those signed up to hard Brexit lecture Labour on the economy?

2 Comments

Why the London result will decide the next General Election

1 Comments

The precarious success of the national minimum wage

1 Comments

About this author

Prospect Team
More by this author

More by Prospect Team

Beyond tariffs: how can Britain boost trade post-Brexit?
October 5, 2018
Prospect's Port of Dover event considers a way forward for trade post-Brexit
September 27, 2018
The Prospect podcast #52—Is identity a mirage?
September 26, 2018

Next Prospect events

  • Details

    Prospect Book Club - David Lammy

    London, 2020-03-19

  • Details

    Prospect Book Club - Jack Shenker

    2020-02-17

  • Details

    Prospect Book Club - Amelia Gentleman

    2020-01-27

See more events

Sponsored features

  • Delivering the UK's invisible infrastructure project

  • Future of Aid: the full report

  • A forest fund for the future

  • A new humanitarianism for the modern age

  • The future of sustainable economic development

PrimeTime

The magazine is owned and supported by the Resolution Group, as part of its not-for-profit, public interest activities.

Follow us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • RSS

Editorial

Editor: Tom Clark
Deputy Editor: Steve Bloomfield
Managing Editor (Arts & Books): Sameer Rahim
Head of Digital: Stephanie Boland
Digital Assistant: Rebecca Liu
Production Editor & Designer: Chris Tilbury
Commissioning Editor: Alex Dean
Creative Director: Mike Turner
US Writer-at-Large: Sam Tanenhaus

Commercial

Commercial Director: Alex Stevenson
Head of Marketing: Paul Mortimer
Marketing and Circulation Executive: Susan Acan
Head of Events: Victoria Jackson
Events Project Manager: Nadine Prospere
Head of Advertising Sales: Adam Kinlan 020 3372 2934
Senior Account Manager: Patrick Lappin 020 3372 2931
Head of Finance and Resources: David de Lange

  • Home
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Acceptable Use Policy
© Prospect Publishing Limited
×
Login
Login with your subscriber account:
You need a valid subscription to login.
I am
Remember Me


Forgotten password?

Or enter with social networking:
Login to post comments using social media accounts.
  • With Twitter
  • Connect
  • With Google +
×
Register Now

Register today and access any 7 articles on the Prospect’s website for FREE in the next 30 days..
PLUS find out about the big ideas that will shape our world—with Prospect’s FREE newsletter sent to your inbox. We'll even send you our e-book—Writing with punch—with some of the finest writing from the Prospect archive, at no extra cost!

Not Now, Thanks

Prospect may process your personal information for our legitimate business purposes, to provide you with our newsletter, subscription offers and other relevant information.

Click to learn more about these interests and how we use your data. You will be able to object to this processing on the next page and in all our communications.

×
You’ve got full access!

It looks like you are a Prospect subscriber.

Prospect subscribers have full access to all the great content on our website, including our entire archive.

If you do not know your login details, simply close this pop-up and click 'Login' on the black bar at the top of the screen, then click 'Forgotten password?', enter your email address and press 'Submit'. Your password will then be emailed to you.

Thank you for your support of Prospect and we hope that you enjoy everything the site has to offer.

This site uses cookies to improve the user experience. By using this site, you agree that we can set and use these cookies. For more details on the cookies we use and how to manage them, see our Privacy and Cookie Policy.