Thread by @jonlis1

It’s vital we understand what was just voted on. Read the motion extremely carefully: because next week the government could once again try to shaft us with the Commons’ inadvertent consent.

1. The government will seek an extension. Great.

2. It will seek an extension till June to ratify the deal. Fine. Same old blackmail to get the deal through. So what if Commons rejects deal?

3. No commitments whatsoever.

Again, read the motion. It states that the European Council would demand a long extension. It *does not* state the government would ever seek that. May could claim she’d fulfilled her side of bargain - seeking some form of extension - but not the one EU was prepared to offer.

May could either refuse offer of a long extension - taking us, entirely lawfully, to no-deal on 29 March - or, more deviously, agree an extension to 30 June, even though there’d be no deal to ratify. Which takes us to no-deal on 30 June - or, you guessed it, May’s deal, attempt 4

Tonight was opportunity for MPs to break endless cycle of delusion & accept we need long extension. Someone in Labour should’ve proposed that extension even if it involved European elections, & leadership should’ve accepted. But that didn’t happen. And now we’re in real trouble.