Brexit latest: Party whip restored to 10 Tory MPs who were expelled last month

Update 6.35pm: Ten MPs who were expelled from the Conservative Party last month after rebelling over Brexit have had the whip restored, a party spokesman said.

The Tory 10 MPs who have had the whip restored are: Alistair Burt, Caroline Nokes, Greg Clark, Sir Nicholas Soames, Ed Vaizey, Margot James, Richard Benyon, Stephen Hammond, Steve Brine and Richard Harrington.

Update:Legislation for an early general election in December has cleared its first Commons hurdle without a formal vote, Speaker John Bercow said.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle had selected Labour’s amendment for a general election on Monday, December 9, and an associated technical amendment.

The provisional grouping and selection of amendments document shows Sir Lindsay has not selected amendments for votes at 16 nor to extend the franchise to allow EU nationals living in the UK to take part.

The Speaker has selected the following amendments to the Early Parliamentary General Election Bill.

MPs may vote on these amendments and vote to allow Clause 1 to stand part of the Bill and Clause 2 to stand part of the Bill. pic.twitter.com/qHYYgRCcpj

— UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) October 29, 2019

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Cat Smith said Labour wants a December 9 general election to ensure students can vote in their university towns and cities.

Labour’s amendment would change the proposed date for a general election from Thursday, December 12 to Monday, December 9.

Speaking at the start of the committee stage of the Early Parliamentary General Election Bill, she told MPs: “Students must not be disenfranchised by an election date which will not allow them to vote in their term-time address.

“This is the address where they will be living for the majority of the year and where they rightly should be able to vote.

Labour’s amendment to fix the date of a general election for December 9 is the best possible way of ensuring the next general election is accessible.”

Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden has made the case to MPs on why December 12 is the Government’s preferred general election date, and why it will not back Labour’s amendment calling for a December 9 polling day.

Discussing Labour’s amendment, Mr Dowden said: “We have considered the date of the poll and I want to set out why December 12 is the best date for two reasons.

“First of all it gives Parliament enough time to progress essential business, and specifically the Northern Ireland Budget Bill – this Bill is necessary to access the funding the Northern Ireland civil service needs after October 31.”

He continued: “The other reason for ensuring that we have the election on the 12th is that we have it on a Thursday – Thursday is by convention the day we have elections in this country and there doesn’t seem to be a strong argument to the contrary to move it those days earlier.”

He added: “There is no substance to this point about students being disenfranchised. First of all, 70% of students choose to vote at their home address, so it would not apply to them, and secondly, the top 40 largest universities, all of them will be sitting on the 12th, so I don’t believe that there is any danger of disenfranchising.”

Responding to an intervention from Conservative MP Nigel Evans on whether the minister has asked a meteorologist what difference holding an election three days earlier would make, Mr Dowden added: “I believe having it those three days earlier would allow one whole minute of extra daylight.”

Earlier: Johnson threatens to pull UK election if vote extended to EU nationals and 16 and 17-year-olds
Britain’s Christmas election could be cancelled amid more uncertainty in the House of Commons.

Downing Street has threatened to pull the British vote if certain amendments are made to it.

Boris Johnson has accused British MPs of trying to delay Brexit “forever” in a combative speech after Jeremy Corbyn said Labour would back a general election there.

The British Prime Minister said a “new and revitalised” Parliament was needed to take Britain out of the European Union as he introduced legislation for a poll on December 12.

MPs voted in favour of a proposal – tabled by Labour’s Stella Creasy – which makes it easier for them to put forward amendments on the Government’s Bill for an early general election.

However, Mr Corbyn confirmed he would back votes for 16 and 17-year-olds and EU citizens with settled status if amendments seeking to make such changes are selected.

Downing Street said votes for EU nationals could cause “administrative chaos” while allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to take part would be “administratively impossible” to deliver.

“There are long-standing conventions that election laws should only be changed after appropriate consultation,” the Prime Minister’s spokesman said.

“The Electoral Commission warns against changing electoral laws less than six months before an election.”

A Number 10 source later said the Government would pull the early election Bill if any amendment to give the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds or EU citizens with settled status passes.

The source said any move to extend the franchise would be a bid to “wreck” the plans to hold a December election.

It came after the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford said his party wants the election age reduced to 16 for all elections and for the franchise to be extended to EU nationals living in the UK.

He told MPs: “I expect the Government today to look positively on any amendments that come forward for EU nationals – there is nothing for the Government to fear by extending the franchise.”

Mr Blackford said EU nationals are already on the electoral register as they are allowed to vote in local elections.

Mr Johnson took aim at Mr Corbyn’s previous opposition to an election, and claimed Labour was not interested in delivering Brexit.

“All they want to do is procrastinate,” he told the Commons.

“They don’t want to deliver Brexit on October 31, on November 31, even on January 31.”

He added: “They just want to spin it out forever, until the 12th of never. And when the 12th of never eventually comes around, they’ll devise one of their complicated parliamentary procedures and move a motion for a further delay and a further extension then.”

The British PM said an election was needed because delaying Brexit is “seriously damaging to the national interest”, while a fresh Parliament would have a “new mandate to deliver on the will of the people and get Brexit done”.

Mr Johnson has put forward a short Bill which sets aside the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act (FTPA) and enables a general election on December 12.

Mr Corbyn told his shadow cabinet he would back an early election now a no-deal Brexit was “off the table”.

His announcement came after Mr Johnson formally accepted a Brexit extension, definitively breaking his “do or die” commitment to leave the EU by October 31.

The success of the PM’s election move requires the backing of only a simple majority of MPs rather than the two-thirds “super majority” which he failed three times to win under the FTPA.

But the Liberal Democrats and the SNP are reluctant to accept Mr Johnson’s date – fearing it allows time to bring the Withdrawal Agreement Bill to implement the PM’s new Brexit deal before MPs ahead of the start of the campaign.

They have previously signalled support for a poll on December 9, but could put forward a proposal for an election on December 11 – which the Government is likely to accept.

The PM’s official spokesman said a December 9 vote would not be “logistically possible” but that other proposed compromise dates would be considered by the Government.

However, Mr Corbyn’s move does not mean a December election is certain.

European Council President Donald Tusk has urged Parliament to “make the best use of this time”.

He tweeted: “To my British friends, The EU27 has formally adopted the extension. It may be the last one. Please make the best use of this time. I also want to say goodbye to you as my mission here is coming to an end. I will keep my fingers crossed for you.”

To my British friends,

The EU27 has formally adopted the extension. It may be the last one. Please make the best use of this time.

I also want to say goodbye to you as my mission here is coming to an end. I will keep my fingers crossed for you.

— Charles Michel (@eucopresident) October 29, 2019

Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson said Mr Johnson “had a cheek” in talking about the whole UK, adding: “This Prime Minister has not been acting in a way that is protecting our whole UK, he has sold out the people of Northern Ireland with the deal that he has done with the EU.”

A People’s Vote she said “would be the ideal way to resolve this issue, to put this specific Brexit deal to the public”, adding: “I think the public would be likely to reject this bad Brexit deal.”

She said: “The suggestion that there is somehow a majority out there in the country for this specific Brexit path, I think is wrong and that’s why this does need to be put to the people for a final say.

“But I have campaigned for that, I have marched for that, we have argued for that, we have tabled amendments for that and we have not been able to secure that and my fear is, is that we will not in this Parliament and we do not have a luxury of time because the EU have given us an extension to January 31.”

Ms Swinson said: “I do want 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds to be able to vote. I think it is a change, its time is coming and I will always vote to support 16 and 17-year-olds voting.”