Brexit: Theresa May plans to lift 21-day delay to ram through EU withdrawal by 29 March

A law passed in 2010 demands the delay so MPs can come to terms with exactly what has been agreed in a new treaty

Theresa May is planning to bypass laws setting out how long new international treaties are debated for to push Brexit through by 29 March.

The prime minister will seek to lift the requirement for a 21-day delay before any vote to approve an international treaty, so that if a new deal is struck with the EU it can be ratified immediately before the deadline to leave the EU.

A law passed in 2010 demands the delay so that MPs can come to terms with exactly what has been agreed, but Ms May’s aides argued that the withdrawal deal and the Irish backstop have already been heavily debated and the imperative is to get Brexit done.

It came as the prime minster urged MPs to “hold their nerve” and support her efforts to secure a withdrawal deal which will deliver Brexit on time.

Ex-attorney general Dominic Grieve, who backs a Final Say referendum on Brexit, warned Ms May n the commons that time was running perilously short for ratification of any deal under the terms of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act.

The 2010 Act, passed by the coalition government, requires 21 sitting days between any international treaty being agreed and it being ratified by parliament.

But Ms May responded: “In most circumstances, that period may be important in order for this house to have an opportunity to study that agreement.

“But of course, in this instance MPs will already have debated and approved the agreement as part of the meaningful vote.

“So while we will follow normal procedure if we can, where there is insufficient time remaining following a successful meaningful vote, we will make provision in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill – with Parliament’s consent – to ensure that we are able to ratify on time to guarantee our exit in an orderly way.”

A spokesman later explained that the process would be accelerated by a clause in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill itself, which would disapply the terms of the 2010 Act in this case.

Ms May sidestepped demands from several MPs to spell out whether she would ask the EU for an extension to the two-year Brexit negotiation process or allow the UK to crash out without a deal if she hit the March 29 deadline with no agreement.

Some MPs speculated that the move to lift the 21-day limit could mean the prime minister might try and ram the deal through between the EU summit on 21 March and 29 March.

Updating the commons on Brexit, Ms May acknowledged she would need “some time” to seek legally-binding changes from the EU to the controversial backstop for the Irish border.

She confirmed that she will table an amendable motion for debate on Thursday, seeking the house’s continued support for her to demand “alternative arrangements” to keep the border open after Brexit.

She then pledged to return on 26 February with a further statement triggering another debate and votes the following day if she has not secured a deal by that date.

If a deal is agreed, MPs will have a second “meaningful vote”, like the one in January, which saw Ms May’s original plan rejected by a record-breaking 230 votes.

The 27 February votes are expected to come shortly after Ms May’s planned meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, at which changes or additions to the withdrawal agreement could be agreed.