Commons Speaker John Bercow has flexed his muscles by warning Theresa May she cannot ask MPs to vote on her Brexit deal again unless it has been substantially changed.
Bercow threw a hand grenade into the Brexit process earlier this month by telling the prime minister he would not allow a third meaningful vote on her deal because MPs should not be asked the same question twice.
And after Downing Street suggested the prime minister could bring the deal back for a third meaningful vote on Thursday or Friday, Bercow reiterated his “test” in the Commons.
He also warned May that she could not get around his ruling by trying to pass a paving motion to ask MPs if they want ‘MV3’, or using any other parliamentary tactics.
The Speaker said: “I do expect the government to meet the test of change.
“They should not seek to circumvent my ruling by means of tabling either a notwithstanding motion or a paving motion.
“The table office has been instructed that no such motions will be accepted.”
Nikki da Costa, May’s former director of legislative affairs, suggested the government may have to dissolve parliament and start a new session to get around the Speaker’s ruling.
That would end up dragging the Queen into the process as she would have to formally start the new session in the state opening of parliament.
Da Costa tweeted: “This is extraordinary and extremely inflammatory in a long series of inflammatory actions.”
Earlier, Number 10 indicated that the government was likely to table a motion on Wednesday evening to pave the way for a third meaningful vote on the Brexit deal on Friday.
The EU has set a deadline of the end of this week for May to pass her deal if she wants an automatic Brexit extension to May 22.
If she does not pass it in time, Britain will be leaving the EU on April 12 unless the PM goes back to Brussels to ask for another extension.
May’s official spokesman stressed again that the government would not bring the deal back until it has a “realistic” prospect of success.
In recent days high profile Brexiteers like Jacob Rees Mogg and Boris Johnson have signalled they could switch votes to back the deal.
But May is still facing an uphill battle with the DUP still refusing to support it.
Rees-Mogg and many other MPs are unlikely to switch before the Northern Irish party, given much of their concerns centre on the Irish border backstop.