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Climate protestors bare all as MPs reject Brexit options

Credit James Heappey
Activists stripped off in the public gallery of the House of Commons last night to raise awareness about climate change | Credit: James Heappey
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Commons debate disrupted by naked protest from Extinction Rebellion before MPs fail yet again to agree on any way forward on Brexit

Theresa May's Cabinet will meet today in a last-ditch attempt to find a way through the Brexit impasse, after MPs last night failed again to agree on any alternative Brexit scenario.

Having rejected the Prime Minister's Withdrawal Agreement three times, MPs could not coalesce around any alternative Brexit arrangement during the second round of indicative votes, although Conservative MP Ken Clarke's proposal in favour of a Customs Union came within three votes of a majority.

Immediately after last night's vote Nick Boles, the Conservative MP behind the proposal for the UK to stay in the single market, which MPs rejected last night, resigned the party whip. "My party refuses to compromise," he said. "I regret therefore that I can no longer sit for this party."

The fraught debate ahead of the second round of indicative votes was interrupted yesterday evening by protestors from the climate change group Extinction Rebellion, who stripped down to their underwear and glued themselves to the wall of the public gallery to "call attention to the 'elephant in the room' - climate and ecological crisis".

The protest - which last more than 20 minutes while police emptied the gallery and removed the protestors - leavened the fraught atmosphere in the Chamber, with MPs congratulating each other for their "cheeky interventions" and for "fleshing out their arguments".

But the results of last night's votes will be no laughing matter for the Cabinet this morning. With just 10 days until the UK is due to leave the EU and no clear majority for any way forward in Parliament, the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said a 'no deal' Brexit is now "very likely".

Green NGO coalition GreenerUK has repeatedly warned a 'no deal' exit would be catastrophic for Britain's environmental protections and low-carbon industries, as well as causing severe economic damage.

Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to try to bring her Withdrawal Agreement back to the Commons for the fourth time this week in a final attempt to get it through before the deadline. If that fails, she will face the tough choice between crashing out without a deal, or requesting a further, lengthy extension to Article 50 from the EU.

It remains unclear whether the European Union would agree to a lengthy extension, given it would mean the UK participating in the upcoming elections to the European Parliament and having a say in the next EU budget.

May has hinted she would not continue as Prime Minister if a lengthy extension of Article 50 was required. This shortens the odds of a general election and/or a Conservative leadership election. The latter scenario would likely result in a wide-ranging contest featuring a number of candidates who have in the past been hostile to environmental action.

Meanwhile, a lengthy delay would also prolong the uncertainty green businesses are suffering and continue the drain on government resources many campaigners urgently argue must be refocused on policy support for climate targets, among other pressing national issues.

 

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