Government on manoeuvres over Article 50 vote

Yesterday the BBC’s Norman Smith reported that the government have prepared a short three line bill to begin the process of leaving the EU. This is to be used in the event that they lose the Article 50 appeal and the Supreme Court insist on a Parliamentary Bill before Article 50 is triggered.

I understand that the government have also been mooting the idea of holding a snap vote on an Article 50 motion ahead of the court case. Last week, the whips’ office sounded out figures in both their own party and opposition parties over how they would vote if they ran a snap vote on Article 50 — potentially as a ten minute rule. The thinking being that — so long as they had enough support to win — a majority show of support from MPs on the issue would send a clear message to the courts in the lead-up to the appeal.

However, it’s thought that the feedback the whips received was not entirely satisfactory and so they have put the plans on ice.