Sterling recovers broadly today after knee-jerk reactions to new Brexit chaos overnight. But overall, the Pound is probably as clueless as the UK government on what’s next. Commons Speaker John Bercow invoked a rule to forbid Prime Minister Theresa May to bring back the same Brexit deal for another meaningful vote, unless there are substantial changes in the proposition. The 415-year-old Parliamentary convention is for “sensible use of the House’s time and proper respect for the decisions that it takes”. Without being forewarned, the government just said: “We note the speaker’s statement. This is something that requires proper consideration”, without further elaboration.
Now, it’s near impossible for a Brexit deal to be passed this week and hence, Article 50 extensions won’t be a short one. The Sun newspaper reported that May is drafting a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk to request a delay of 9 to 12 months. Some suggested one way to bring back the Brexit deal for another vote is having EU granting another Brexit date than March 29, thus, making the proposition substantially different. Another way is to end the current parliamentary session early without dissolving it, and start a new session. The same deal could then be voted for in “another” session.
But then, the fundamental question is not solved. That is, is there enough votes to the current Brexit deal through?
