May angers MPs over European Arrest Warrant Commons vote

A number of Conservative MPs backed an attempt by Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to force a fresh debate on the measure tomorrow over concerns they were not being offered a proper vote.

Mrs May had insisted the Government motion put before MPs did amount to a vote on rejoining the European Arrest Warrant (EAW).

But Commons Speaker John Bercow rejected that interpretation and told MPs the Government was only offering a vote on 11 specific measures, not including the EAW, out of a package of 35.

He said: “I think most of us think a commitment made is a commitment that should be honoured and we should try to operate according to sensible standards rather than trying to slip things through through some sort of artifice.

“It may be the sort of thing that some people think is very clever, but people outside of the House expect straightforward dealing and they are frankly contemptuous, and I use the word advisedly, contemptuous of what is not straight dealing.”

With the Government expected to face a rebellion from Conservative backbenchers hostile to the EAW, Ms Cooper used an obscure Parliamentary procedure to bring a halt to the debate and try and force a rerun tomorrow.

The attempt was voted down and the Government motion was comfortably passed with Labour support.

But the evening’s events look set to aggravate fractures between the Conservative frontbench and Eurosceptic backbenchers who feel they were denied the opportunity to express their opposition to the EAW.

The UK Independence Party is also likely to point to the EAW as an issue where the Conservatives have promised a vote on Europe and reneged.

In a sign of the anger at Mrs May’s handling of the issue, a Government timetable motion at the start of the debate was only won by nine votes.

Moving her unusual motion, Ms Cooper, the Normanton MP, told Mrs May: “You have effectively said ministers are just going to make it up because the Speaker has been very clear that this does not include a vote on the EAW, you are just going to reinterpret it in any way you choose.

“That is an irresponsible way to treat the House. If you brought this back tomorrow with all 35 measures in we will support it.

“We will vote for it, then we will have no doubt about it, categorical support for all 35 measures.

“If you will not do so tomorrow then you are playing fast and loose with the criminal justice system and fast and loose with this Parliament and on that basis, Mr Speaker, I think this needs further debate but we should debate now returning to this tomorrow - we have loads of time tomorrow.”

Amid scenes bordering on the farcical, at one point Government MPs staged a filibuster to give time for their colleagues to return to the Commons to vote down Labour’s motion, but several spoke out against the Government and backed Ms Cooper.

They included Tory Steve Baker who said he supported Labour’s motion as a “motion to save our democracy”.