A Labour MP will call for an emergency debate on Brexit and the proposed extention to Article 50, following Theresa May’s request for a short delay to Britain’s withdrawal from the EU.
The Prime Minister wrote a letter to European Council president Donald Tusk on Wednesday to request a three-month extension to 30 June. By extending Article 50 beyond the scheduled exit date of 29 March, Mrs May hopes to secure approval from MPs for her Withdrawal Agreement, which has previously been voted down twice.
Alison McGovern, MP for Wirral South, has put an application for the debate in with the Speaker’s Office. There is speculation that it is an attempt to force Mrs May into rewriting the letter to include a longer extension.
John Bercow will make a decision over the request later today.
This is all you need to know about emergency debates:
What is an emergency debate?
This type of debate is essentially one that is called at short notice because of the urgent nature of the matter up for consideration.
What are Standing Orders?
They are the written rules which regulate the proceedings of each House.
Dr Louise Thompson, a senior lecturer in politics at the University if Manchester, says they “enable MPs to bring a topic to the floor of the Commons for debate”.
How do MPs arrange an emergency debate?
Under the rules of Standing Order No. 24, an MP may apply to the Speaker of the House of Commons for an emergency debate on Mondays to Thursdays during sitting time.
If the Speaker grants the debate, the MP will have three minutes to make a speech after question time and any urgent questions or ministerial statements. The Speaker then decides whether to submit the application to the House, according to the Parliament website.
For there to be a debate, the House must agree to the application for the emergency debate.
When will the debate take place?
The debate will usually take place on the next sitting day but in some cases the Speaker can allow it on the same day the application is made. The motion to be debated will be “That the House has considered the matter of [Topic]”.
What other emergency debates have there been?
Here is a list of emergency debates from the 2017 Parliament:
Contaminated blood
Scheduling of parliamentary business
Tuition fees
Government policy on the proceedings of the House
Universal Credit Roll-out
Tax Avoidance and Evasion (paradise papers)
Yemen
EU Referendum: Electoral law
Syria
Military Action Overseas: Parliamentary approval
Private Members’ bills: Money resolutions
Offences Against the Person Act 1861
Sewel Convention
Yemen
Exiting the European Union: Meaningful Vote
EU Withdrawal Agreement
Leaving the EU: No Deal
Why has Alison McGovern requested the debate?
The main reason is likely to be to give MPs control over the length of the Brexit delay.
Emergency debates are non-binding and usually aim to show the House expresses an opinion. Dr Thompson says emergency votes rarely conclude in voting but they “can put extra pressure on the Government to act, come to the House or make a statement”.
Does Labour supports Alison McGovern’s request?
A party spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister should make a statement.
“If she doesn’t we will support all measures to force a debate in Parliament on this matter.”
Angela Rayner is ready to make her move