Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to present MPs with a way out of an enforced holiday by giving them another vote on holding a general election before a final decision to prorogue Parliament is taken.
– What will happen in Westminster today?
Debate will take place in Parliament about petitions both opposing and supporting Mr Johnson’s radical move to suspend Parliament for five weeks ahead of the October 31 Brexit deadline.
The petition calling for the suspension to be blocked has garnered more than 1.7 million signatures.
Analysts still believe it is likely that the PM will push on and prorogue Parliament, possibly as early as today.
READ MORE: Alan Roden: Leave or Remain? Let's agree that families often disagree
– Anything else?
No doubt lots. But among them, Michael Gove will appear before the House of Lords EU Committee to give evidence about the Government’s Brexit negotiations and no-deal preparations.
He will be probed on topics such as how the Government’s preparations for a no-deal Brexit have been accelerated, and what are the biggest risks with a such a departure.
Michael Gove is to appear before the House of Lords EU Committee (House of Commons/PA)
– Will there be an election before October 31?
It is looking less and less likely.
The Government has tabled a motion calling for an early poll, which will also be debated on Monday, but with opposition parties agreeing not to support it, it is unlikely to garner the backing of the two-thirds of MPs needed for it to pass.
– So no chance of an early election?
There is still a chance, yes. It could be triggered by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn calling a no-confidence motion in the Government on Monday and Mr Johnson losing it.
It could also happen if, first, the Brexit deadline is extended and the Government again calls an early poll, and this time two-thirds of MPs do support that idea, given the comfort of a later deadline.
Boris Johnson is flying out to Dublin to meet Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (Liam McBurney/PA)
– What else is the Prime Minister doing on Monday?
He is flying to Dublin to meet Leo Varadkar. The Irish Prime Minister has said, however, that Mr Johnson should not be expecting major progress on Irish border talks.
READ MORE: Tense talks ahead for Boris Johnson as he heads to Ireland
– Might Brexit still happen with a deal?
Despite Parliament’s problems grappling with deal proposals in the past, it is still considered possible.
Now that a no-deal Brexit is starting to look less likely to pass through Parliament, analysts suggest framing a deal that gets passed could be the easiest way for Mr Johnson to deliver on his vow of completing Brexit.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel