Huntingdonshire MPs are ‘polls’ apart in series of Brexit votes

Huntingdonshire MPs took markedly differing views after a series of votes by members of the House of Commons ruled out leaving the EU without a deal.

Jonathan Djanogly, MP for Huntingdon, voted in favour of a Government motion to rule out leaving the EU without a deal on March 29. He was absent for a subsequent motion, put by Labour’s Yvette Cooper, which ruled out a no-deal Brexit at any time.

Shailesh Vara, the MP for North West Cambridgeshire, meanwhile, voted against both the Government’s motion for March 29 and Ms Cooper’s.

The votes took place last Wednesday (March 13), after Prime Minister Theresa May saw her withdrawal deal voted down for a second time, with concessions gained from the EU proving insufficient in the eyes of her Conservative Party colleagues.

Speaking after the votes, Mr Vara said: “[I am] very disappointed that the House of Commons voted to take no deal off the table in our negotiations with the EU. It sends a hugely unhelpful message to the EU that we will settle for whatever they are prepared to give us, even if it is a bad deal.”

He added: “On a common sense basis, no self-respecting businesswoman or businessman would ever take no deal of a negotiating table. And what we are involved in here is the biggest business deal that the UK has ever been involved in.”

However, Mr Djanogly welcomed the idea of no deal being taken off the table – albeit symbolically, rather than through legislation.

He tweeted: “A no deal Brexit is a non-sensible Brexit and I was pleased to see it comprehensively thrown out by the commons.

“Now we need to seek a sensible delay and an alternative plan.”