David Davis MP signs a letter for calling for Big Ben to chime on 31 January 2020

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As reported in the Sunday Telegraph:

SIR – Given that Article 50 states very clearly that the United Kingdom will now leave the European Union at a specific time – 11 pm GMT, on Friday January 31 2020 – those wishing to mark the occasion will need to look to a clock for the precise timing. It seems inconceivable to us that this clock would not be the world’s most iconic timepiece. Big Ben, of course, already chimes on Remembrance Sunday and New Year’s Eve.

However, due to the ongoing refurbishment work on Parliament’s Elizabeth Tower, the House of Commons Commission, which is chaired by the Speaker and is responsible for such matters, ruled in 2018 during John Bercow’s tenure that Big Ben would not chime for Brexit. Therefore, unless this decision is overturned, Big Ben will stay silent on this historic night. We believe this would be much to the consternation of many people around the UK who wish to celebrate this momentous event.

Moreover, we believe that, given the number of years that we in Parliament have been arguing over this issue, leaving on January 31 will help to bring a degree of closure, not just in the House but hopefully among the public as a whole. Allowing Big Ben to chime could help to provide some catharsis in this process.

We now understand that the House of Commons Commission is likely to meet early this week to consider this issue, and we call upon the Speaker, the Leader of the House, Jacob Rees-Mogg, and their colleagues on the commission to overturn the previous ruling, so that Big Ben may chime to mark our leaving the EU – a decision that hopefully we will never have to revisit.

Mark Francois MP (Con)

Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP (Con)

Sir Bill Cash MP (Con)

Sir David Amess MP (Con)

Sir John Redwood MP (Con)

David Davis MP (Con)

Bob Blackman MP (Con)

Steve Double MP (Con)

Andrew Rosindell MP (Con)

Henry Smith MP (Con)

Jonathan Gullis MP (Con)

Dr Jamie Wallis MP (Con)

Lucy Allan MP (Con)

Dehenna Davison MP (Con)

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP (Con)

Gareth Johnson MP (Con)

Craig Mackinlay MP (Con)

David Jones MP (Con)

Pauline Latham MP (Con)

Sheryll Murray MP (Con)

Paul Bristow MP (Con)

Greg Smith MP (Con)

Dr Julian Lewis MP (Con)

Mark Eastwood MP (Con)

Scott Mann MP (Con)

Jack Lopresti MP (Con)

Ian Liddell-Grainger MP (Con)

Sarah Atherton MP (Con)

Nigel Mills MP (Con)

John Baron MP (Con)

Rachel Maclean MP (Con)

Carla Lockhart MP (Con)

Craig Whittaker MP (Con)

Jonathan Lord MP (Con)

David Morris MP (Con)

Duncan Baker MP (Con)

Damien Moore MP (Con)

Laurence Robertson MP (Con)

Gordon Henderson MP (Con)

Lee Rowley MP (Con)

Craig Tracey MP (Con)

Andrew Selous MP (Con)

Owen Paterson MP (Con)

Philip Davies MP (Con)

Stephen McPartland MP (Con)

Richard Drax MP (Con)

Andrea Jenkyns MP (Con)

Ben Everitt MP (Con)

David Morris MP (Con)

Mark Jenkinson MP (Con)

Suella Braverman MP (Con)

Anne-Marie Morris MP (Con)

Sir Mike Penning MP (Con)

Lee Anderson MP (Con)

Tom Hunt MP (Con)

John Whittingdale MP (Con)

Peter Bone MP (Con)

Robert Goodwill MP (Con)

Gagan Mohindra MP (Con)

Martin Vickers MP (Con)

Chris Loder MP (Con)