Labour’s Yvette Cooper to table bill aiming to ensure UK cannot exit EU with no deal by default

MPs will mount an audacious bid to legislate against a no-deal Brexit on Wednesday by rushing an emergency bill through parliament to force Theresa May to request a delay to leaving the EU.

A cross-party group opposed to a no-deal Brexit will bring forward a bill requiring the prime minister to put forward a proposal to extend article 50 to ensure the UK cannot leave the bloc with no deal by default.

The effort is being led by Yvette Cooper, a senior Labour MP, and Sir Oliver Letwin, a Tory former minister, who want to get their one-line bill through the House of Commons in just one day on Wednesday.

The legislation may then be debated in the House of Lords as soon as Friday or Monday, where it is likely to encounter attempts to frustrate its progress by Eurosceptic peers.

Labour sources in the House of Lords said peers against a no-deal Brexit were preparing to stay up all night to ensure any attempts to filibuster the legislation were not successful.

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Meanwhile, it is understood there is a plan led by Hilary Benn, the senior Labour MP, to lay an amendment in favour of more indicative votes narrowing the options next Monday, following parliament’s failure to coalesce around one of four soft Brexit options on Monday.

A new option is likely to be put to MPs combining support for a Brexit deal plus customs union with a confirmatory second referendum, which could win new supporters among campaigners for a people’s vote.

There is growing speculation that May could be poised to request an extension to article 50 from the EU of her own accord.

However, it still remains possible that the government could try bring back a third meaningful vote on May’s Brexit deal later this week, if the Speaker, John Bercow, permits it.

An amendment passed by MPs last week gives them the power to take control of the order paper on certain dates, which they are hoping will give parliament time to debate and pass the bill before May attends an EU summit in Brussels next Wednesday. This is the natural point at which the prime minister would have to request an extension to article 50 in order to stop the UK crashing out without a deal on April 12.

Cooper said the government could decide how long an extension to propose. “We are now in a really dangerous situation with a serious and growing risk of no deal in 10 days’ time,” she said.

“The prime minister has a responsibility to prevent that happening. She needs to put forward a proposal, including saying how long an extension she thinks we need to sort things out. If the government won’t act urgently, then parliament has a responsibility to try to ensure that happens even though we are right up against the deadline.”

Letwin said it was worth attempting to pass the bill though the MPs expected to face substantial opposition.

“This is a last-ditch attempt to prevent our country being exposed to the risks inherent in a no-deal exit,” he said. ‘“We realise this is difficult. But it is definitely worth trying.”

MPs will present a business motion for debate on Wednesday to pave the way for all the Commons stages of the bill to pass by 10pm the same day – which is likely to spark a fierce debate on whether it should be allowed to proceed. It would then be sent to the House of Lords.

Cooper and Letwin brought forward their legislation against no deal after MPs failed to alight on a consensus for an alternative to May’s Brexit deal in indicative votes on Monday.

The Labour MP Lucy Powell, one of the key movers behind the Norway-style deal pushed by a cross-party group of MPs during the indicative votes process, said parliament needed to take on an even bigger role.

“We’ve put the government back in the driving seat – but it can’t drive,” she said. “A motley crew of backbenchers without the resource and power of the government have actually achieved more consensus in a few weeks than government has in many months.”

MPs backing a second referendum may attempt to amend any motion or bill to add a provision for a fresh poll, though several said they were working with a compromising spirit after a bitter row between soft Brexiters and People’s Vote supporters over the inconclusive results of the indicative votes on Monday night.

Supporters of a customs union – which lost by just three votes – blamed Lib Dems, the Independent Group and Labour backers of a referendum for withholding their support and denying parliament the opportunity to force May to compromise.

Referendum supporters claimed their offers of a compromise composite motion bringing together soft Brexit options and a referendum had been repeatedly rebuffed.

A source close to the Independent Group said there was a real risk that a win for a customs union in the House of Commons could have scuppered the chances of a new poll and that referendum supporters had already compromised by supporting the indicative votes process, which put their preferred option at risk.

Several senior MPs backing a referendum said there had been attempts to reset the tone of engagement on Tuesday morning, with one describing the mood as “pragmatic and cooperative”.