(Bloomberg) -- Justice Secretary David Gauke wouldn’t say which side he will support in a crunch vote in which politicians will try to make it harder for the next prime minister to suspend Parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit. The measure -- attached to Northern Ireland legislation -- was strengthened in the House of Lords and returns to the House of Commons on Thursday.
Key Developments:
- Gauke says he will wait to see the amendments and whipping arrangements before deciding how to vote
- House of Lord beef up measures intended to hamper a no-deal Brexit -- the House of Commons votes later Thursday
Gauke Won’t Say If He’ll Back Brexit Amendment (7:15 a.m.)
Justice Secretary David Gauke said he doesn’t yet know how he will vote on an amendment intended to prevent a future prime minister from suspending Parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit.
“I’ll have to see what the precise amendments are, and we’re hearing what the whipping will be and the arguments on that, so I’m not in position to necessarily say,” Gauke, who is expected to lose his job after the new prime minister is announced next week, told BBC Radio 4. “At a crucial point in this country’s history that Parliament should not be able to sit, should not be able to express its opinion and its will, would be outrageous.”
Gauke has said he would resign if a future prime minister -- expected to be Boris Johnson -- insisted on a no-deal divorce from the EU. Johnson has refused to rule out suspending Parliament to force through such a split, which is not backed by a majority of MPs.
Gauke and Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond are shaping up to be influential and disruptive backbench rebels once there is a change of leader. There has been speculation some ministers may quit to vote against the government, and Gauke’s comments will add fuel to the theory.
Earlier:
Boris Johnson Says U.S.-U.K. Trade Deal Won’t Be Forged QuicklyPound Jolted Out of Summer Slumber as No-Deal Brexit Din GrowsBrexit Bulletin: Neutralizing the Next PM
To contact the reporter on this story: Thomas Penny in London at tpenny@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, ;Emma Ross-Thomas at erossthomas@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs
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