Guildford MP Votes Against Fast Passage of New Brexit Deal

Published on: 25 Oct, 2019
Updated on: 30 Oct, 2019

Guildford’s MP Anne Milton continues to have reservations about the new Brexit deal proposed by her former Conservative colleague Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

She recently voted, with the majority of other MPs, for the new agreement but against the timetable that would have left Parliament with little time for scrutiny.

In a message to constituents who have corresponded with her on the subject, she said: “The House of Commons needs to make progress to resolve the current impasse. We cannot leave people with this continued uncertainty, especially those running businesses.

“I have huge reservations about this Bill. This includes the situation we may face at the end of the implementation period in December 2020. I also have serious concerns about the repercussions for Northern Ireland in the future.

“Parliamentary procedure is complex, and this often means MPs have to consider long-term outcomes when voting, rather than focussing only on what might be the immediate matter to hand.

“I share many of the concerns about the Programme Motion and I quite agree that it does not allow sufficient time for scrutiny. However, until the Bill has passed 2nd Reading, proper debate cannot start.

“There are lots of us working behind the scenes to try and persuade the government to make changes and if this is unsuccessful further amendments from backbenchers will be tabled.

Last week (October 18) a House of Commons ally, Sir Nicholas Soames (Ind, Mid Sussex), said: “Anne Milton must have the Conservative whip restored!” He was speaking at a fund-raising dinner held by the Godalming Branch of the Conservative Party, to which he was invited before he had the Party whip withdrawn,

Sir Nicholas Soames with (left) Donovan Smith (Party agent), Jeremy Hunt MP and Anne Gray (Godalming Branch Chairman). The dinner was held at Guildford Rugby Club.

Both he and the former Foreign Secretary and Surrey South West MP Jeremy Hunt, who introduced Sir Nicholas, made a point of complimenting their Guildford MP colleague who, along with Sir Nicholas, was one of the 21 rebels who voted in favour of the “Benn Act” to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

He added that the result of the rebellion had made the government negotiate more seriously with the EU. Before that, the government had seemed content, or perhaps preferred, to progress to a no-deal outcome.

Sir Nicholas was well received by his erstwhile party colleagues despite Leavers being among the audience. In his speech, which was warmly applauded, he warned that Britain would inevitably be damaged by its withdrawal from the EU. He also warned of the dangers the world was facing from the various geopolitical flashpoints and the rise of populism. Many of the problems we face, he said, were very complicated and cannot be solved with simple solutions.

In a question session at the end of the dinner, he opined that it was untrue that the next generation of MPs was bereft of talent. He had noticed some excellent new MPs, many of them women.

He then again complimented Anne Milton as a stalwart ally saying, “Anne Milton is someone I would go into battle with at any time. She is someone I know I could trust to watch my back. She must have the whip restored.”

See also: Guildford’s MP Abstains in Commons Debate and Repeats Call for ‘Confirmatory’ Referendum

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