Details of a plan to prevent a no-deal Brexit by tearing up the parliamentary rulebook and allowing a minority of MPs to seize control of House of Commons business have been uncovered by BuzzFeed News.



The former Conservative attorney general Dominic Grieve is working with a cross-party group of MPs, including leading Remain-supporting Labour rebels, to draw up a new amendment that would have parliament take control of the Brexit process and let backbenchers introduce legislation to extend or revoke Article 50.

Rebels are now coalescing around a new amendment which would overturn centuries of constitutional rules that give government business precedence in the Commons.

If the amendment succeeds, it would allow a motion put forward by a minority of 300 MPs across five parties — including 10 MPs from the governing party — to stand as the first order of business.

This would let a cross-party coalition of backbench MPs to grab power from the government and allow bills to be brought up and considered by the House.

Legislation could then be tabled by backbenchers to block a no-deal Brexit — something for which there is likely to be a Commons majority.


Previously it has been thought that only the executive would be able to extend or revoke Article 50 to stop the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal.