Third attempt to pass Brexit deal planned for Friday

Theresa May is set to make a third attempt to force her EU Withdrawal Agreement through the House of Commons on Friday.

Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom told MPs that the House will sit on March 29 – originally scheduled to be Brexit Day – to consider a motion on EU withdrawal.

The Prime Minister must secure Commons approval for her deal by 11pm on Friday if the UK is to be given an automatic delay to May 22 of the date on which it leaves the EU.

Friday’s debate, on a day when the Commons was not due to be sitting, is dependent on a business motion being moved and passed by the House later on Thursday, and on Speaker John Bercow deeming that the Government’s proposal is in line with parliamentary rules which ban the same motion being repeatedly tabled.

Ms Leadsom also signalled that all or part of the Commons’ Easter recess – due to start on April 4 – may be cancelled.

She told MPs that talks were “ongoing” to ensure compliance with the Speaker’s ruling that any new motion must be substantially different from the Brexit packages rejected by 230 votes in January and 149 in March.

She said: “The only way we ensure we leave in good time on May 22 is by approving the Withdrawal Agreement by 11pm on March 29, which is tomorrow.

“The European Council has agreed to an extension until May 22 provided the Withdrawal Agreement is approved by the House of Commons this week.

“It’s crucial we make every effort to give effect to that and to allow the House to debate this important issue.

“We do not want to be in a situation of asking for another extension and of course for the requirement to undertake European Parliament elections.”

If the deal is again voted down on Friday, the UK will have until April 12 to make its case to Brussels for a further extension or leave without a deal.

Downing Street has previously indicated that a third “meaningful vote” would only be attempted if the Prime Minister felt there was a credible chance of success.

Talks were continuing on Thursday to try to win round the Conservatives’ DUP allies, who indicated on Wednesday that they were not willing to back the deal because of its controversial “backstop” provisions for the Irish border.

However, Mrs May’s spokesman had no information about the Prime Minister herself getting involved in meetings with the Northern Irish party.

The PM’s dramatic promise on Wednesday evening to stand down if the deal goes through convinced some key Tory Brexiteers finally to back her, raising hopes in Downing Street of a breakthrough.

But with the DUP and a hardcore of Tory Eurosceptics holding out against the deal, the Government appears not to have the numbers in the Commons to be sure of victory.

The support of the unionist party’s 10 MPs had been seen as crucial, both in making up the numbers for the vote and in winning over Tory waverers.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the pro-Brexit European Research Group (ERG), who is now supporting the deal, suggested a way could still be found to get the DUP on board.

“I’m in favour of the deal and I hope the DUP will come over to the deal but we’ll have to wait and see what they do,” he said.

Mrs May’s effective deputy, David Lidington, pleaded with MPs to back the Brexit deal.

Speaking at the British Chambers of Commerce conference in London, he said: “I recognise the real frustration that uncertainty around this process has caused in the business community.”

He added: “From the Prime Minister down, the Government is doing all it can to secure a Brexit that does follow the result of the 2016 referendum but does so in a way that protects jobs and economic growth.”

Mr Lidington acknowledged that a “chaotic, disorganised Brexit without an agreed deal is something we should not be seeking to have”.

“It is, unavoidably, the legal default position,” he said, but it was not Government policy.

“Such a no-deal exit would undoubtedly mean disruption to businesses and I believe would also be a threat to the integrity of the union of the UK itself,” he warned.