On 3 April, the House considered the ‘Cooper Bill’, a Private Members Bill put forward by Yvette Cooper which instructs the Prime Minister to seek an extension to Article 50 and avoid a no-deal Brexit.
I voted in favour of this Bill, as I feel that leaving without a deal would be economically disastrous for our country and would not be in the interests of thousands of hardworking families in North Durham and throughout the UK.
The Bill passed by a single vote and began to be considered by the House of Lords on Thursday.
Also on 3 April, I voted for the amendment put forward by Hilary Benn MP which would have allowed another round of indicative voting on Monday. As it is necessary for Parliament to compromise on a way forward, I believed the amendment offered an opportunity to see whether Members could come together and combine some of the propositions put forward previously. The amendment received 310 ayes and 310 noes and so the Speaker of the House gave his vote to the status-quo. As such, the amendment was defeated.
Next week, EU leaders will consider the Prime Minister’s request to extend Article 50 at a special meeting of the European Council on Wednesday 10 April.
I am always happy to meet with constituents who wish to discuss their concerns related to the UK’s withdrawal form the European Union, or any other issues. If this would be helpful, please contact me on [email protected] or on 0191 371 8834.
Best wishes
Kevan
Rt Hon Kevan Jones MP
Member of Parliament for North Durham