Banquo wrote:Puja wrote:Banquo wrote:
So what actually happens if we pass the legislation voted for tonight to take no deal off the table, which I'd understood to be possible unilaterally; the way I read what had happened was ERG wouldn't get their no deal, and then we'd have an indefinite extension by default. Do you know, therefore, that the EU can effectively kick us out if we change our statute book?
Unfortunately, the only things we can do unilaterally are leave without a deal or withdraw Article 50 completely. It would be technically possible to withdraw Article 50 and then resubmit it to get another 2 years, but I can't see that course of events as a) withdrawing it at all would be "betraying the will of the people (TM)" and thus politically toxic and b) it'd take an act of parliament to withdraw it and another one to resubmit it and I'm not sure there'd be a definite majority to resubmit it.
Taking no deal off the table tonight didn't actually achieve anything - we can say all we like that we don't want no deal, but we've already legally committed to leaving on 29th March by invoking Article 50. Unless we agree a deal, get the EU to agree to an extension, or withdraw Article 50, then we're leaving without any deal at all.
Puja
I knew May couldn’t ‘take no deal off the table’ but I thought Parliament could pass an act to make it so. So what actually happens should Parliament do this, nothing is agreed by 29th, and no extension ‘granted’ by the EU?
Badically unless A50 was withdrawn, we'd leave with no deal, regardless of what acts Parliament has passed. A50 says we're leaving on 29th March. We either get the EU to agree to extend it or we withdraw it - any other option means we leave, deal or no.
Stom wrote:Have they not already voted for it, though? They've rejected the WA and ruled out No deal. So if the EU refuse an extension, come the 29th the only option open to the UK government is to revoke A50.
None of the proposals so far have the magic words of, "if no extension is forthcoming, withdraw Article 50 until we know what's going on." They just say, "If no deal is agreed, we should get an extension."
And unfortunately Rees-Mogg is right that we've passed a law to activate A50, so I believe we'd need another one specifically to withdraw it, so May can't even do it unilaterally - she'd need to get a majority in Parliament to do so.
Puja