Brexit Secretary Admits Government Will Still Push For Theresa May's Deal

19 March 2019, 08:29 | Updated: 19 March 2019, 08:47

The Brexit Secretary has indicated the Government will press on with Theresa May's Brexit deal, despite the Commons Speaker John Bercow moving to block it.

Mr Bercow yesterday ruled out allowing the Prime Minister to bring back the meaningful vote for a third time without any significant changes to the deal.

Speaking to Nick Ferrari, Stephen Barclay admitted the UK was in a "moment of crisis", but insisted the deal was gaining more support in the House of Commons.

He said: "We've got a meeting of Cabinet this morning where we'll discuss it. It's important to look at the ruling yesterday, which does raise the bar in terms of a future vote, but look at it in context of other rulings that he's given as well."

Nick asked what they'd discuss in the meeting, as "MV3" had been ruled out. But Mr Barclay said: "We need to look at that because if you look at other things that the Speaker has said.

"For example, on a previous ruling, he said that if we were only guided by precedent then manifestly nothing in our procedures would ever change. And yet yesterday's ruling was based on a precedent from 1604.

"The Speaker has also said that the House will always find a way to make its views known. So clearly, if a number of MPs, as has been the case in recent days, has been changing their vote, then that does suggest that something has changed.

"The meat of the motion doesn't necessarily have to change, if the circumstances around it does. And the Speaker himself has accepted that point, otherwise we wouldn't have had a meaningful vote 2."