David Davis, giving evidence to a House of Lords select committee, said leaving the European Union “may be the most complicated negotiation of all time” given the enormous administrative task facing Westminster. So far, little detail has emerged.
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In a report published today, The invoking of Article 50, the committee considers the roles that government and Parliament should play in the triggering of Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union-the legal mechanism by which the United Kingdom will leave the EU. The date when that will happen is not known.
The minister, reflecting the chaotic state of early Brexit planning, said that he had been “given 180-degree opposite opinions on some things” in terms of how to proceed within the law. A resolution could be simpler and quicker to secure but might not provide the same watertight legal authority.
“The committee is clear that the government should not trigger Article 50 without consulting the UK Parliament, and that Parliament’s role should be an ongoing one, extending to the negotiation process itself and to the point where the negotiated package is agreed and adopted. I believe that the United Kingdom should trigger Article 50 as soon as possible, so that we can finalize these negotiations by 2019, because I cannot imagine that we start the next legislative cycle without agreement”, he told reporters September 13.
The government has said it will unilaterally decide when to begin Brexit talks without seeking parliamentary approval, despite Davis previously claiming that Brexit would enhance the role of parliament. However, our constitution is built on the principle of parliamentary sovereignty and the decision to act following the referendum should be taken by Parliament.
“This supplements similar demands by the Scottish Parliament for a full voice in the Brexit process”. We consider that either would be a constitutionally acceptable means of securing parliamentary approval for the triggering of Article 50. The focus must now be on how parliament and the government will work together to that end.
“As the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union made clear to Parliament this week, the triggering of Article 50 is the beginning of the process of exit and we expect Parliament to be fully consulted and engaged throughout”.
He said in a tweet: ” Brexit should be delivered before 2019, when EU politics enters into new cycle and the European Parliament starts new mandate”.
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Verhofstadt, a former Belgian prime minister and leading supporter of closer European Union integration, was appointed by party leaders last week to represent the parliament in negotiations on Brexit. “Our four freedoms are inseparable”.
