This archive report was first published on 21 October 2019.
Brexit Saga Continues: A New Delay for the U.K. ¶
On October 19, 2019, the U.K. Parliament held a 'Super Saturday' session, a first since the Falklands War, to vote on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit deal. The session was marked by raucous debate, with hundreds of thousands of protesters demanding a new referendum outside Westminster.
After hours of debate, the speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, announced that the votes were in – for another delay. This decision was compelled by earlier legislation adopted by Parliament to prevent a no-deal Brexit, which required Prime Minister Johnson to ask the European Union for another extension of the deadline, now set for October 31.
However, the Brexit deal that Prime Minister Johnson brought back was largely the same as the one he had opposed as a leading Brexit hawk when his predecessor, Theresa May, tried to pass it through Parliament. The major difference was a new solution to the problem of maintaining an open border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, which involved installing customs controls at the Northern Ireland border.
Despite the opposition to Prime Minister Johnson's deal, it was not the opposition that blocked it, but lack of trust in his intentions. Many members of Parliament feared that if his deal was passed, he and his allies would tie up enabling legislation until the deadline ran out.
Parliament took up an amendment proposed by a former Conservative Party member to postpone voting on the agreement until the rest of the legislation was passed. The amendment won 322 to 306, and Prime Minister Johnson yanked his bill, intent on reintroducing it in the coming week.
While the decision on Brexit will affect the U.K. for generations, the Parliament has rebuffed any efforts to short-circuit the democratic process. The debate has gone far beyond the simplistic promises of Brexiteers, and greater awareness of the true complexity and cost of Brexit has not dimmed the passion of those who despise the idea of sharing sovereignty with the Continent.
