Labour looks to redirect Brexit process

Move could have impact on Conservative leadership race

Britain's Labour Party made a fresh bid to seize control of the Brexit parliamentary process on Wednesday — and at the same time potentially change the direction of the race to be the country's next prime minister.

The Conservative Party is currently looking for a new leader to replace Theresa May, who stepped down last week, and that person will also replace her in 10 Downing Street.

Several contenders, including favorite Boris Johnson, have said they are willing to take the country out of the European Union at the end of October without a deal, but Wednesday's opposition debate — backed by the Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party and at least one leading Conservative, Sir Oliver Letwin — could prevent that.

It aims to take control of the parliamentary agenda for June 25, and get binding legislation passed which would eliminate the option of a no-deal Brexit, and also prevent future leaders from suspending Parliament to force through any such arrangement — a tactic some fervently pro-Brexit leadership candidates have said they would resort to if necessary.

The usually high-profile Johnson let rivals including Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt launch their campaigns before starting his own leadership bid on Wednesday, saying "After three years and two missed deadlines, we must leave the EU on Oct 31.

"With every week and month that goes by in which we fail to deliver on our promise," he continued, "I am afraid we will further alienate not just our natural supporters but anyone who believes that politicians should deliver on their promises."

But if Labour's motion is successful, the next leader could not take the country out without a renegotiated deal with the EU, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has repeated that this is not an option, saying that the 585-page exit treaty that had already been agreed was "not a treaty between Theresa May and Juncker, it is a treaty between the UK and the EU.

"It has to be respected by whoever is the next British prime minister," he continued. "There will be no renegotiations as far as the content of the withdrawal agreement is concerned."

The parliamentary Conservative Party will whittle 10 candidates down to a final two, with the ultimate choice made by party members nationwide.

Johnson is likely to be hugely personally popular at that level, but championing no deal is a calculated risk. Business Secretary Greg Clark has warned that no deal would be "political suicide" for the party, and given his backing to Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, saying he "has a clear understanding of how important it is to have a deal and to pursue the trading relationship with the EU that I believe is vital."

Candidates Esther McVey and Dominic Raab have both spoken of their willingness to enact a no-deal Brexit, but Rory Stewart, an outsider whose eccentric campaigning style has proved popular, told the BBC "No-deal is a terrible thing ... the best way of stopping no deal is to vote for a candidate who is against no deal."

Labour Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer added "MPs cannot be bystanders while the next Tory prime minister tries to crash the UK out of the European Union without a deal and without the consent of the British people.

"That's why we are taking this latest measure to end the uncertainty and protect communities across the country."

Previously MPs have voted to reject a no-deal Brexit under any circumstances, but the political climate has changed since then. Robert Peston, one of the country's most trusted political commentators, tweeted "I am reliably told the vote will be tight. There will be Tories who vote with Letwin. "We'll either win or lose by five votes" a well-placed source told me."