Revealed: John Bercow will get the casting vote on the Brexit deal if the Commons showdown results in a tie
- John Bercow will get the casting vote on the Brexit deal if vote results in a tie
- It’s possible an equal number of MPs could vote for and against the agreement
- In recent months, Mr Bercow has come under fire for controversial rulings
ByJohn Stevens Deputy Political Editor For The Daily Mail
Published:(****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************: 02 EDT, (October)Updated:17: (EDT, (October)
John Bercow will get the casting vote on the (Brexit) deal if Saturday’s Commons showdown results in a tie.
With the outcome too close to call, it is possible that an equal number of MPs vote in favor of and against the agreement.
This would lead to the extraordinarily rare situation where the Commons Speaker delivers a deciding vote.
Mr Bercow did it in April this year, when a decision on whether MPs should hold more indicative votes was tied, but that was the first time it had happened since 1993. The controversial figure has announced he will finally stand down on October 31.
In recent months, Mr Bercow has come under fire for a series of controversial rulings in the chamber whi ch were widely considered to favor Remain supporters.
He previously admitted to voting Remain in the 2016 referendum and his wife’s car bears a ‘b ******* to Brexit’ sticker. Part of the Speaker’s role is to remain neutral.
John Bercow (pictured) will get the casting vote on the Brexit deal if Saturday’s Commons showdown results in a tie
Dr Alice Lilly, of the Institute for Government, said: ‘There are certain principles – known as Speaker Denison’s principles – that set out how Speakers are expected to exercise the casting vote.
‘The main principles are that the Speaker’s vote should not create a majority where there isn’t one, that they should not change the status quo, and that they should vote in a way that does not make any final decisions and that does allow time for further discussion of an issue. In terms of a straight vote on the Government’s deal being tied, it’s probable that the Speaker would vote against the motion, on the grounds of not creating a majority where one doesn’t already exist in the House.
‘However, it is also possible that the Speaker could interpret the situation differently, leading him to vote for the motion – for example , if he felt that voting for the motion could create time for more debate on the deal in the form of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. ‘
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