Britain’s Upper House of Parliament has voted to give its members more power to reject the final terms of the country’s exit from the European Union, ignoring pleas from Prime Minister Theresa May’s Government not to hamstring their negotiations.
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The government, which had attempted to persuade the Lords to follow the Commons” decision not to amend the Bill, said it was “disappointed’ with the result.
That has already triggered Parliamentary ping pong, since the Government has vowed to overturn the amendment – and any others passed in the Lords – so the Article 50 Bill can become law unamended.
Tory former Cabinet minister Viscount Hailsham, a signatory to the amendment, denied supporters of the move wanted to stand in the way of the Bill.
“This would be undesirable for the remaining member states, who would have to decide how to plug the hole in the budget created by the UK’s exit without any kind of transition”.
In that Lords debate, we heard a wide range of opinions about the progress of negotiations and the means by which Parliament should influence it.
The Brexit bill will now return to the House of Commons with the amendment forcing May to have a vote on her Brexit deal and another guaranteeing the rights of European Union citizens.
MPs will be able to reject any changes to the Bill when it returns to the House of Commons before being granted Royal Assent.
The Prime Minister claimed it could encourage Brussels to hand Britain a bad Brexit deal in an attempt to keep the United Kingdom in the EU.
It is expected that, while a handful of MPs may change their minds in light of the Lords’ decision, Theresa May will still have the numbers to knock down both amendments next week.
Lord Forsyth said: “These amendments are trying to tie down the Prime Minister”.
May is confident the bill will pass in time to meet her deadline of triggering Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, which begins the two-year withdrawal process, by the end of March.
May has a working majority of 17, and in earlier stages of the legislation seven of her party rebelled – although six opposition lawmakers all but cancelled out that rebellion by backing the government.
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The Members of Parliament (MPs) called on the government to ensure British nationals already residing in other European Union countries, and European Union citizens already living in Britain, do not lose their rights to healthcare and pensions after Brexit.
