Speaker REFUSES to give Tory MPs a vote on new coronavirus laws – but gov to fight off rebellion with fresh climbdown

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THE SPEAKER of the House of Commons has REFUSED to give Tory MPs a vote on new coronavirus laws – but the Government has tried to stave off revolt with an olive branch to rebels.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle gave the Government a slap down for not giving MPs a say on emergency measures to fight the pandemic before they came into force but said an amendment risks undermining certainty in the laws.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle refused to give MPs a vote on new coronavirus laws
Boris Johnson faced a revolt of as many as 100 Tory MPs

As many as 100 Tory MPs were set to revol against the Government tonight and preparing to rebel after demanding they be given a greater say on the new rules.

The MPs, led by 1922 Committee Chair Sir Graham Brady, held 11th hour talks with Jacob Rees-Mogg last night to try and hash out a peace deal.

Ministers say they need to be able to bring in new emergency laws quickly to help deal with the virus without having to wait for a vote in the House of Commons.

Ministers are understood to have offered rebels a compromise whereby MPs get a retrospective vote after any new measures are introduced.

But this olive branch is understood to have been rejected. 

Former government chief whip Mark Harper told Times Radio last night: “For me, the bottom line, and I think for many colleagues, is this idea of having to get Parliament’s approval in advance, not afterwards.”

A government source said last night that talks were “ongoing” over finding a compromise.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma suggested this morning there would be concessions to keep the outspoken group of Tory rebels happy and try and avoid open revolt.

Mr Sharma told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The reason we are sometimes having to bring these in pretty quickly is to actually keep people safe – and I know all parliamentarians, Steve (Baker) and others totally get that – and the issue is the scrutiny.”

Sir Lindsay said this lunchtime he would not allow the amendment, spearheaded by Sir Graham, to be voted on because it would risk flooding the emergency powers with uncertainty – or make them beholden to the courts.

The Speaker told MPs: “I have concluded on the basis of the advice I have received that any amendment to the motion before the house risks giving rise to uncertainty about the decision the house has taken.

“This then risks decisions which are rightly the responsibility of parliament ultimately being determined by the courts, the lack of clarity risks undermining the rule of law.”

Even with the scores of Tory rebels, Mr Johnson’s massive majority means the new laws would’ve made it over the line if the amendment had been allowed.

‘TOTAL DISREGARD’

But Sir Lindsay gave the Government a dressing down over failing to give MPs enough of a say over new measures, telling the PM that publishing measures only hours before they came into force “shows total disregard” for the House.

He demanded the PM work to “rebuild trust” with Parliament by ensuring there was more debate on new rules.

One of the chief Tory rebels Steve Baker MP said Boris Johnson fumbling the new regulations and having to having to apologise for “mis-speaking” over rules in the North East was an example of the confusion caused by the lack of debate.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think it was a vivid illustration of the problems you have when a hundred Acts of Parliament are used to put in place 247, I think it is, pieces of delegated legislation … which are subject to repeated amendment and revocation.

“When you get such a large and shifting body of law, you find even ministers and the Prime Minister cannot keep up with it.

“What possible hope can the public have? I had one minister say to me yesterday, with terror in his eyes about the disease, we might have to change the law every 24 hours.

“We can’t possibly expect 70 million people to keep up with law that changes every 24 hours – this would be chaos and ruin.