Tuesday, 26 Nov 2024

Boris Johnson Suffers Another Brexit Setback

LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit plans ran into yet another roadblock, when a parliamentary official ruled that Mr. Johnson could not try again on Monday to win Parliament’s approval for his agreement with the European Union.

The ruling by John Bercow, the speaker of the House of Commons, could have cleared the way for a showdown vote Monday evening on the deal that Mr. Johnson struck last week with officials in Brussels.

The prime minister had hoped to win parliamentary approval on Saturday, but he was blocked on a narrow vote, and Mr. Bercow ruled that the Commons could not legally take up the matter for a second time on an identical proposal. “It would be repetitive and disorderly to do so,” he said.

After the vote on Saturday, Mr. Johnson was forced to send a letter to the European Union requesting a further Brexit delay. Having vowed that Britain would leave as scheduled on Oct. 31, with or without an agreement in place, the prime minister also sent a separate letter arguing against a postponement.

The ruling is not a final defeat for Mr. Johnson’s plan. He could still win approval for it by getting Parliament to pass a far more detailed bill laying out the terms of Britain’s departure, though his opponents are likely to attempt to block that proposal as well.

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