John Bercow has received heavy criticism for his ruling that the Commons could vote on Dominic Grieve’s latest amendment about the Brexit debate. Much of it comes, as Jess Phillips alleged, from MPs merely angry at being on the losing side. Mr Bercow’s decision contradicts what generations of clerks have told generations of MPs about the meaning of a single word: forthwith. The Commons’ standing orders are full of references to questions being put to the House “forthwith”. Clerks have been telling MPs for decades that forthwith means that nothing can happen between a motion being moved and the…

Source: The Times January 10, 2019 00:01 UTC