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Theresa May Unveils Bill to Initiate ‘Brexit’ Process Theresa May Unveils Bill to Initiate ‘Brexit’ Process
(35 minutes later)
LONDON — Two days after being ordered by Britain’s Supreme Court to seek Parliament’s approval before beginning the process of taking the country out of the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May submitted a terse, 132-word bill to lawmakers on Thursday. LONDON — Two days after being ordered by Britain’s Supreme Court to seek Parliament’s approval before beginning the process to take the country out of the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May submitted a terse, 132-word bill to lawmakers on Thursday.
“The Prime Minister may notify, under Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union, the United Kingdom’s intention to withdraw from the EU,” the main clause of the European Union draft act 2017 reads.“The Prime Minister may notify, under Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union, the United Kingdom’s intention to withdraw from the EU,” the main clause of the European Union draft act 2017 reads.
Some saw in the government’s brevity an attempt to limit the scope for time-consuming amendments to allow Mrs. May to invoke Article 50, the legal process for leaving the European Union, by her self-imposed deadline of the end of March. But others saw a plan to give the government a mandate for a so-called hard Brexit, making control of immigration a higher priority than staying in the European Union’s single market. Some saw the government’s brevity as an attempt to limit the scope for time-consuming amendments to allow Mrs. May to invoke Article 50, the legal process for leaving the European Union, by her self-imposed deadline, the end of March. But others saw a plan to give the government a mandate for what has been called a hard Brexit, making control of immigration a higher priority than staying in the European Union’s single market.
“This narrow bill disguises the breadth of May’s objective,” Spencer Livermore, a member of Parliament, wrote on Twitter. “She wants a mandate for hard-right Tory policies, which Labour should deny her.”“This narrow bill disguises the breadth of May’s objective,” Spencer Livermore, a member of Parliament, wrote on Twitter. “She wants a mandate for hard-right Tory policies, which Labour should deny her.”
Members of the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament, will start debating the bill on Tuesday. Given her conservative majority, the prime minister is expected to win swift approval. There was brief talk of a “rebellion” in the opposition Labour Party, where some lawmakers vowed to vote against an order from their party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to back the bill, but the number of those balking appears too small to make a difference. Members of the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament, will start debating the bill on Tuesday. Given her conservative majority, the prime minister is expected to win swift approval. There was brief talk of a “rebellion” in the opposition Labour Party, where some lawmakers vowed to vote against an order from their party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to back the bill, but the number of those balking appears too small to matter.
Mrs. May might face a little more resistance in the House of Lords, the unelected upper chamber of Parliament, where her Tories do not have a majority. Some in her party have suggested that she should quickly appoint enough new lords to give her the votes she needs. But few expect this to be necessary: With little democratic credibility, the 805 lords are unlikely to dare to block last June’s referendum vote. Mrs. May might face more resistance in the House of Lords, the unelected upper chamber of Parliament, where her Tories do not have a majority. Some in her party have suggested that she should quickly appoint enough new lords to give her the votes she needs. But few say they expect that to be necessary: With little democratic credibility, the 805 lords are unlikely to dare to block last June’s referendum vote.
Most resistance will come from the pro-European Scottish National Party, which promises to submit no fewer than 50 amendments to the bill.Most resistance will come from the pro-European Scottish National Party, which promises to submit no fewer than 50 amendments to the bill.
“There is no bill that cannot be amended,” said Stephen Gethins, the Scottish National Party’s spokesman on Europe. Amendments are not limited by the number of words in the bill, he said, because they can take the form of adding clauses.“There is no bill that cannot be amended,” said Stephen Gethins, the Scottish National Party’s spokesman on Europe. Amendments are not limited by the number of words in the bill, he said, because they can take the form of adding clauses.
In one pre-emptive move, Mrs. May has already sought to shut down demands for further debate on details of the government’s Brexit plan by promising to deliver a policy paper in coming weeks. But she has not said whether the paper would be published before the final vote on the bill. In one pre-emptive move, Mrs. May has already sought to stop demands for further debate on details of the government’s Brexit plan by promising to deliver a policy paper in the coming weeks. But she has not said whether the paper would be published before the final vote on the bill.
Some lawmakers pointed out that her actions seemed to turn democratic traditions on their head, issuing policy papers that should be informing parliamentary debate only after voting on the legislation. Some lawmakers noted that her actions seemed to turn democratic traditions on their head, issuing policy papers that should inform parliamentary debate only after voting on the legislation.
“The way they’re rushing this through and trying to shut down any debate shows that they don’t appear to have the courage of conviction,” Mr. Gethins said. “They wouldn’t be afraid of debate.”“The way they’re rushing this through and trying to shut down any debate shows that they don’t appear to have the courage of conviction,” Mr. Gethins said. “They wouldn’t be afraid of debate.”
If this bill is short, there have been shorter ones: The 1918 statute to give women the right to stand for election counted 27 words. The longest act of Parliament was a law regarding taxation passed in 1821. Written on a scroll, it was nearly a quarter of a mile long and took two workers a whole day to rewind. Though this bill is short, others have been shorter: The 1918 statute to give women the right to stand for election was 27 words. The longest act of Parliament was a law regarding taxation passed in 1821. Written on a scroll, it was nearly a quarter of a mile long and took two workers a day to rewind.