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Letwin-Cooper passes the final stage in the Lords today, and gets royal assent tomorrow.
So. How does Letwin-Cooper actually work, you say.
So. How does Letwin-Cooper actually work, you say.
Letwin-Cooper requires that the day after the Act receives royal assent, exactly this motion must be put to the House of Commons
"That this House agrees for the purpose of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2019 to the Prime mInister seeking an extension of the period specified in Article 50 (3) of the Treaty on European Union to a period ending on [ . . .]"
A date must be specified in place of the brackets when the motion is tabled, and the Commons can either agree to it or amend that date to any date of its own choosing.
So if Letwin-Cooper passes the Lords today,. and gets royal assent tomorrow, parliament can delay Brexit on Wednesday without having to ask or wait for government permission.
And there is about zero chance of Theresa May getting her withdrawal agreement through parliament by Wednesday.
Thus we enter one of the most predictable weeks of all Brexit.
Thus we enter one of the most predictable weeks of all Brexit.
Today the Lords passes Letwin-Cooper.
On Wednesday there is an emergency EU summit where Theresa May, under force of Parliament, will ask for an Article 50 extension.
On Thursday Parliament will accept the date agreed by Europe.
On Wednesday there is an emergency EU summit where Theresa May, under force of Parliament, will ask for an Article 50 extension.
On Thursday Parliament will accept the date agreed by Europe.
And so it will that just one day before we got expelled from the European Union in nothing but our slippers and pyjamas, and our luggage dumped in the road, we chose to abandon the whole idea.
Once we have got another year's extension, then Theresa May can finally resign after having achieved nothing except to waste a hundred billion pounds, trash our reputation and get two major European agencies to leave the country.
Once we've got a year's extension the time pressure is off.
The Tories can have their leadership contest. Brexiteer or remainer doesn't really matter because either way Brexit is staying dead.
The Tories can have their leadership contest. Brexiteer or remainer doesn't really matter because either way Brexit is staying dead.
The Tory leadership will take a few weeks, there probably won't be a general election before autumn - waiting for the heat to die down.
Whereupon the Tories win a majority for remain, and a promise of a new referendum to abandon Brexit for good.
Whereupon the Tories win a majority for remain, and a promise of a new referendum to abandon Brexit for good.
Just like I said three years ago. The Tories sack Theresa May and abandon Brexit.
It just took them two years longer than me to work that out.
It just took them two years longer than me to work that out.
