Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP Jamie Stone welcomes amendment win at Westminster; vote seeks to prevent parliament from being prorogued and forced into a no-deal Brexit against its will
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A KEY vote aimed at preventing the UK government from proroguing parliament and forcing a no deal Brexit, has been welcomed by a Ross MP.
MPs in Westminster yesterday voted in favour of an amendment that aims to prevent a Prime Minister from suspending parliament without the chamber’s permission.
The vote, which was approved with a majority of 41, seeks to prevent the commons from being suspended at any point between October 9 and December 18 - unless a Northern Ireland executive has been formed in the interim.
The result is widely seen as a rebuke to Boris Johnson, who is expected to win a party vote to become next leader of the Conservatives, and has publicly floated the idea of proroguing the chamber in order to force a no-deal situation when the UK leaves the EU – a date currently slated for October 31.
A number of Conservative MPs voted in favour of the amendment, including several ministers, amid fears that a no-deal Brexit would have a devastating impact on the UK economy.
Critics have branded proroguing as an affront to democracy, and warned that using it to force a no-deal Brexit would be financially reckless. Just hours before the vote the independent government spending watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), warned that such a Brexit would punch a £30bn hole in the economy and bring about a recession.
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP, Jamie Stone, was among the politicians to vote in favour of the amendment and welcomed the result.
Speaking afterward, he said: "These votes were a milestone victory in blocking Boris from trampling on our democracy.
"No Prime Minister should be able to prorogue Parliament to force something through against Parliament’s will and these votes are an important part in stopping Boris doing this.
"A no deal Brexit would be a disaster for the Highlands and must be stopped. The only real way out of this chaos is a People's Vote, with the option to stay in the EU, and the Liberal Democrats will keep fighting as we have done today to make this a reality."
