London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

BoJo’s Brexit bill in limbo again as MPs vote down fast-track timetable

BoJo’s Brexit bill in limbo again as MPs vote down fast-track timetable

UK lawmakers have given the green light to PM Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, voting through his Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) in Parliament and are now turning their attention to the significant program timetable motion.
Minutes after approving Boris Johnson’s Brexit withdrawal agreement, UK lawmakers have rejected the PM’s "programme motion" in a blow to his plans to fast-track the bill through all stages of the House of Commons by Thursday.

UK MPs passed Johnson’s WAB at the second reading stage in the House of Commons on Tuesday evening by 329 votes to 299. The UK government’s joy at that result, however, was short lived, as crucial program motion was voted down with 308 for and 322 votes against minutes later.

Speaking after the second vote, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Johnson was the "author of his own misfortune."

“Work with us to agree a reasonable timetable,” Corbyn added.

Johnson complained that the House has yet again "voted for delay" and created "further uncertainty" over Brexit.

He said he will speak to EU member states about their intentions and until then he will “pause” the legislation. The PM confirmed that his policy remains that the UK should leave the EU on October 31. He thanked members across the house for the “hard won” agreement.

Johnson has framed the day's events as a victory, as this marks the first time any Brexit bill has been backed by a majority in the Commons – while on the other hand, the opposition sees their rejection of his fast-track timetable as a major defeat. The PM earlier warned lawmakers that the WAB will have to be pulled if the program timetable motion is voted down, "and we will have to go forward to a general election."

Yet, Johnson made no mention of an election in his comments after the vote. Commons speaker John Bercow said, however, that the government will indicate how it wishes to proceed in a statement soon.

Liberal Democrats leader Jo Swinson said Brexit was "not a done deal" and slammed Johnson for attempting to "ram his Brexit deal through Parliament."

The motion, which sets the timetable of only three days for MPs to study the WAB, has proven to be controversial with many lawmakers from across the House. Critics have complained that three days is not enough time to scrutinize and vote on such a historic piece of legislation.

As it stands, the timetable for the Brexit process includes a debate on amendments to the bill, such as a customs union and a second referendum on Tuesday night and continuing until Thursday, culminating in votes at the third reading stage.

The UK government is desperate to advance the bill through the House of Commons and the Lords in time for the October 31 deadline – when the UK is scheduled to leave the European Union.

Earlier, President of the European Council Donald Tusk revealed that any decision on whether to grant a Brexit delay would depend on what happens in the UK Parliament this week, but insisted the bloc would never choose a no-deal scenario.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×