iNEWS: Filibustering: How the strategy to stop the Cooper-Letwin no-deal Brexit blocking bill works

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Dr Louise Thompson, a senior lecturer in politics at the University of Manchester, says Private Member’s Bills like the Cooper bill are always at risk of filibusters in the Commons and in the Lords.

“In the Lords this is even more so because of its self-governing procedures and the difficulty in putting an end to deliberate time wasting. Ordinarily with Government legislation the threat of the Parliament Act means that the Lords isn’t so much of a threat, but when it comes to non-government legislation such as this one, a filibuster can be even more potent.

“Given that the Government does not have a majority in the Lords, it makes it difficult for the Government to stop a bill through votes alone, but a handful of peers intent on a filibuster can make a difference.”