Brexit buzz: are MPs preparing to vote on a UK-EU trade deal next week?
Commons may sit on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day to ratify an agreement
MPs are being readied to vote on a possible Brexit trade deal at the beginning of next week, according to senior government sources.
The Telegraph reports that amid renewed hopes of a breakthrough in Brussels, Boris Johnson is planning to “push back the Christmas recess” if he ties up an agreement with the EU by this weekend.
The Conservative leader in the House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, is said to be overseeing preparations for MPs and peers to sit on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. And while ministers have ruled out asking MPs to spend Christmas Day in Parliament, they may be required to sit on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Both EU and UK officials have warned that time is running out to push through an agreement, but Rees-Mogg “has suggested that Parliament could ratify any Brexit deal in as little as 24 hours”, says The Times.
The arch-Brexiteer told a podcast for the Conservative Home website that “Parliament can act very quickly when necessary”, pointing to the Abdication Act of 1936 - passed in one day to recognise that Edward VIII was handing succession to his brother, George VI.
Speculation that a deal is on the verge of being struck rose further this morning when European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered what The Independent describes as her “most optimistic assessment of negotiations yet”.
Von der Leyen told MEPs that there was now a “path to an agreement” in the negotiations, with a “way forward” being found on most of the outstanding issues.
Downing Street continues to strike a more downbeat tone, however.
Johnson told the cabinet yesterday that he wants a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU but not “at any cost”.
His official spokesperson confirmed at a Westminster briefing that “the prime minister made clear that not being able to reach an agreement and ending the transition period on Australian-style terms remained the most likely outcome”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
Why Bhutan hopes tourists will put a smile back on its face
Under The Radar The 'kingdom of happiness' is facing economic problems and unprecedented emigration
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
7 beautiful towns to visit in Switzerland during the holidays
The Week Recommends Find bliss in these charming Swiss locales that blend the traditional with the modern
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Werewolf bill
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
John Prescott: was he Labour's last link to the working class?
Today's Big Quesiton 'A total one-off': tributes have poured in for the former deputy PM and trade unionist
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Last hopes for justice for UK's nuclear test veterans
Under the Radar Thousands of ex-service personnel say their lives have been blighted by aggressive cancers and genetic mutations
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Donald Trump wreck the Brexit deal?
Today's Big Question President-elect's victory could help UK's reset with the EU, but a free-trade agreement with the US to dodge his threatened tariffs could hinder it
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
UK's Starmer slams 'far-right thuggery' at riots
Speed Read The anti-immigrant violence was spurred by false rumors that the suspect in the Southport knife attack was an immigrant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published