Second Reading given to EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill - majority of 30... 329-299. It proceeds to close scrutiny, but not before the crucial Programme Motion vote seeking to get the rest of the Commons stages through in three days... MPs now voting on that...
Timetable motion fails - v v rare. 322-308. Corbyn offers talks. PM says he will consult with EU leaders and will pause not pull legislation.
In an extraordinary turn of events, the texted No 10 anonymous source turned out to have briefed something that then failed to transpire.
In an extraordinary turn of events, the texted No 10 anonymous source turned out to have briefed something that then failed to transpire.
look at pattern of votes - 2nd Reading passes on 19 Labour votes - programme fails on 9 purged Tories & spurned DUP, not sure THIS low alignment/ NI checks deal actually passes Parliament - eg Nandy saying don’t assume 3rd reading: the economics explains:
Also - on whose votes are the Government proposing to pass a Budget in 15 days time? The Labour 19?
As Chris and I anticipated on the BBC2 vote special - Tusk recommends acceptance of jan 31st - and to do so even without an emergency summit via the “written procedure” if EU27 agree, there’ll be no further negotiation
Now for the really important issue -
When do the @RoyalMintUK have to start striking the October 31st special Brexit 50p in order to get 10 million promised in circulation by exit day?
Or in other words, have they already started making them?
THREAD! With Maths....
When do the @RoyalMintUK have to start striking the October 31st special Brexit 50p in order to get 10 million promised in circulation by exit day?
Or in other words, have they already started making them?
THREAD! With Maths....
First thing is that HM agreed the design, or rather the Privy Council did when approving the prorogation too...
Promising/ didn’t reach this stage for March 29th. /2
Promising/ didn’t reach this stage for March 29th. /2
Now first up the blanking press can make blanks from rolls of alloy at a rate of 10,000 a minute... so that is to say all 10 million in 1000 minutes. Working 24/7 at its facility, as is possible - that’s short work - 17 hours, theoretically... but they are blank /3
However the coin striking press can do 850 coins a minute - so if devoted to Brexit 50p coins marked October 31st, and assuming 24 hour 7 minting - it would take 8 days to make the 10 million coins promised by Brexit due date- so they’d have to start tomorrow, if not already. /4
So it was 3 million coins promised for delivery into circulation on October 31st - the rest coming over next year - so that's 3 days of non-stop pressing, plus a few hours of creating blanks, add in a day or two for distribution - probably got till the weekend to push the button
And permission was received for souvenir October 31st Brexit 50ps in Gold and Silver too - tend to go for £60-70 and £500-900. But no sign of them on the Royal Mint website, even as they are already selling 2020 souvenir coins....
