As we go to print, MPs in the House of Commons are expected to hold a meaningful vote on whether the UK should leave the EU without a deal. The expectation is that MPs will overwhelmingly vote against this proposal and effectively rule out a ‘no-deal’ Brexit.

While the House of Commons has failed to find consensus on the withdrawal agreement with the EU, ruling out a no-deal Brexit is the one area where MPs have found cross-party agreement.

Unfortunately, a meaningful vote against a no-deal Brexit is irrelevant. The clock is still counting down on the UK’s exit at the end of March, and unless the House of Commons can find a solution to the current impasse, the UK will crash out of the EU without a deal. Even if Article 50 is extended, the House of Commons has a long way to go to reaching agreement on the withdrawal agreement, as evidenced by the 149-vote defeat handed down to Theresa May on Tuesday.

Until some form of consensus emerges, no-deal will always be a danger looming in the background.

The Commons meaningful vote against a no-deal Brexit is irrelevant

The House of Commons' meaningful vote to rule out a ‘no-deal’ Brexit is irrelevant as long as MPs remain so far apart on agreeing over the withdrawal agreement.