Welcome to our weekly feature courtesy of Sebastian Salek, the brains behind Clear the Lobby, working to bring you all the laws MPs are voting on this week, and explained in plain English!
The crunch time that wasn’t gets a second playing this week.
The government is now planning a meaningful vote on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal for Monday. But there’s some speculation the Speaker won’t allow it because of a rule that multiple votes can’t be held on the same question. So the ball is very much in Bercow’s court to give some clarity.
If it does happen, expect more amendments. Labour has said it’ll support one for a confirmatory referendum. It’ll also put down amendments on remaining in the EU customs union and avoiding leaving without an agreement on the future relationship.
So how will MPs vote? On Friday’s Bloomberg Westminster we spoke to Matthew Goodwin, politics professor at the University of Kent and senior fellow at Chatham House, who offered some great analysis that largely still holds. Click here to listen to the podcast.
Meanwhile, the government is pressing on with legislation that would implement Johnson’s deal. MPs will debate the Withdrawal Agreement Bill at second reading on Tuesday. Watch out for the vote on the programme motion, which sets out the timetable for the bill’s passage through Parliament. The government wants to get it through as quickly as possible so Britain can leave the EU by 31 October, but opposition parties will want a longer timeframe to allow for greater scrutiny.
Outside of Brexit land, we also get a taste of the government’s other plans with the introduction of the Environment Bill.
MONDAY 21 OCTOBER
No votes scheduled
TUESDAY 22 OCTOBER
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Implements the government’s Brexit plan.
Bill not yet published
WEDNESDAY 23 OCTOBER
Environment Bill – 2nd reading
Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Provides the legal framework for environmental governance after Brexit. Introduces a range of measures that aim to improve the environment, including: enabling charges for single-use plastic items, allowing deposit return schemes (where you pay a bit extra for items like bottled drinks, but recoup that amount when the bottle is returned), and standardising what items can be collected for recycling by local authorities in England.
Draft bill / Commons library briefing
THURSDAY 24 OCTOBER
No votes scheduled
FRIDAY 25 OCTOBER
No votes scheduled
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Read all the past updates here.
