MPs may not be headed for the Christmas they would usually expect

The spectre of Brexit means that our elected representatives are likely to be back in parliament before long, writes Andrew Woodcock

MPs may return to Westminster before the year is out (Getty)

The last day before Christmas recess usually finds the Palace of Westminster in demob-happy mood.

There are mince pies and turkey dinners in all the canteens, Yuletide puns exchanged over the dispatch box and beaming MPs departing with a spring in their step to spend a couple of undisturbed weeks with their constituents.

Not so this year – and not only because of coronavirus dampening festive jollity.

Brexit, having cast an inescapable shadow over parliament for the past five years, has saved up a final sucker-punch for MPs by threatening to wreck their end-of-year break.

Leader of the Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg left it to the last moment to confirm that, yes, MPs would be allowed home on Thursday, but he warned they could be recalled at any time if a trade deal is struck with the EU.

With 48 hours needed to prepare for a vote and Downing Street ruling out sitting only on Christmas Day and bank holidays, many are expecting a return journey to Westminster on Monday or Tuesday – though some of the gloomier members think they could be sitting as late as New Year’s Eve.

To take part in the vote, MPs will have to attend in person unless they are entitled to a proxy vote due to maternity leave or “medical or public health reasons related to the pandemic”.

However, MPs are able to self-certify themselves as unable to attend for Covid-related reasons and, judging by the number of proxy votes wielded by whips in recent weeks, it appears that many are interpreting this requirement in the broadest way possible.

It is quite possible that Westminster will in fact be sparsely inhabited for what could be one of the most consequential votes of MPs’ parliamentary lifetimes, with most taking part in the debate by video link and voting from a distance.

And not all of them are happy about it. “It’s a nonsense,” said one backbencher. “They’ve had months to sort this out, they’ve missed deadline after deadline, and now we’ll be expected to read hundreds of pages in a matter of days and vote through measures which will affect all of our constituents without anyone having properly scrutinised it.”

In truth, many believe it didn’t have to be this way. The shape of a deal has been becoming clear in recent weeks and few MPs are convinced by Boris Johnson’s warnings that no deal is the most likely outcome of negotiations still dragging on in Brussels.

Instead, they put the 11th-hour brinksmanship down to two factors. First, the natural tendency of negotiators not to finalise any deal while time remains in which the other side might make a concession. And second, the prime minister’s preference to have whatever package he finally presents to parliament rushed through without anyone paying too much attention.

A free trade agreement polished off by the earlier deadline of October may have been massively welcome to business, which is now facing a frantic last-minute dash to comply with new rules. But it would also have provided long weeks and months for MPs to pick over the details looking for flaws, for hardline Brexiteers and eurosceptic newspapers to cry betrayal, and for the PM’s confident claims of a negotiating triumph to crumble into dust.

Far better to whisk the whole thing through parliament in a couple of days while the rest of the country is wrapping presents, sleeping off a festive eggnog or watching the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special.

Before anyone knows what has happened, 1 January will be upon us, the UK will have transitioned to Brexit and we’ll all have other things to worry about – not least the queues at the borders and empty shopping shelves, which seem an inevitable consequence whatever is agreed.

Yours, 

Andrew Woodcock

Political editor