A cross-party group of senior MPs are attempting to avoid a no-deal Brexit by potentially triggering a government shutdown similar to that taking place in the US, according to reports.
The Sunday Times says MPs will today vote on two amendments to the Finance Bill that would “lead to a gridlock in Whitehall unless Theresa May wins approval from Parliament for a deal with Brussels”.
Labour’s Yvette Cooper and the Conservative’s Nicky Morgan are leading a group of select committee leaders who have tabled a motion that would make Government spending on no-deal measures illegal without Parliament’s consent.
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.
“Our amendment would block some of the Treasury’s no-deal powers unless Parliament has explicitly voted for no deal or unless the Government has requested an extension of Article 50,” Cooper said. “We’ll be looking to table similar safeguards to all government legislation.”
The move comes after 209 MPs signed a cross-party letter delivered to May this weekend that urged her to “agree a mechanism that would ensure a ‘no-deal’ Brexit could not take place”.
The second amendment to the Finance Bill, which enacts the Budget, was tabled by Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable and would prevent the Treasury from collecting key taxes unless Parliament approves a plan before the UK quits the bloc, Sky News reports.
Supporters of the amendments include Conservative MPs Oliver Letwin, Nick Boles and Sarah Wollaston, as well as Hilary Benn, the Labour chair of the Brexit Select Committee.
The motions “could starve the Government of cash and create a Donald Trump-style shutdown”, says Sky’s chief political correspondent, Jon Craig.
Two unnamed members of the PM’s team have admitted that the rebellion could lead to “total paralysis” of the top level of government, according to The Sunday Times.
-
‘The money to fix this problem already exists’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Magazine solutions - November 21, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 21, 2025
-
The 5 best narco movies of all timethe week recommends Cartels from hell and the greasy underside of the international drug trade
-
GOP retreats from shutdown deal payout provisionSpeed Read Senators are distancing themselves from a controversial provision in the new government funding package
-
Democrats split as Senate votes to end shutdownSpeed Read The proposed deal does not extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, the Democrats’ main demand
-
Senate takes first step to end record shutdownSpeed Read Eight senators in the Democratic caucus voted with Republicans to advance legislation to reopen the government
-
Trump ordered to fully fund SNAPSpeed Read The Justice Department is appealing the decision
-
FAA to cut air travel as record shutdown rolls onSpeed Read Up to 40 airports will be affected
-
The longest US government shutdown in historyThe Explainer Federal employees and low-income households have been particularly affected by ‘partisan standoffs’ in Washington
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Judge halts firings during government shutdownFeature A federal judge blocked President Trump’s plan to cut jobs tied to “Democrat programs,” ruling that his administration violated layoff laws during the shutdown
