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Brexit bill must not be obstructed, Theresa May tells MPs Brexit bill must not be obstructed, Theresa May tells MPs
(about 4 hours later)
Theresa May has warned MPs not to obstruct the Brexit bill during its second phase of parliamentary debate, after the House of Commons voted overwhelmingly for the legislation last week. Theresa May has warned MPs not to obstruct the Brexit bill during its second phase of parliamentary debate, as Labour wrestles with whether to back the legislation if all its amendments fail.
The prime minister said MPs must not use parliamentary procedures to delay the passage of the bill, which will be debated over the next three days. The prime minister called on MPs not to use parliamentary procedures to delay the passage of the bill, which will be debated over the next two days.
Dozens of amendments have been tabled by opposition MPs in the hope of getting enough cross-party support to secure better parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit, the rights of EU nationals living in the UK, access to the single market and a more meaningful vote at the end of the two-year negotiations. Dozens of amendments have been tabled by Labour and opposition MPs in the hope of getting enough cross-party support to secure better parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit, the rights of EU nationals living in the UK, access to the single market and a more meaningful vote at the end of the two-year negotiations with the bloc.
May appears to be standing firm on these issues, although No 10 could have to make concessions if enough Tory backbenchers look set to rebel. However, May argued that any move to slow down the passage of the bill was tantamount to obstructing the verdict of the June referendum.
“Our European partners now want to get on with the negotiations, so do I, and so does this House, which last week voted by a majority of 384 in support of the government triggering article 50,” she said.“Our European partners now want to get on with the negotiations, so do I, and so does this House, which last week voted by a majority of 384 in support of the government triggering article 50,” she said.
“There are of course further stages for the bill in committee and in the Lords and it is right that this process should be completed properly.“There are of course further stages for the bill in committee and in the Lords and it is right that this process should be completed properly.
“But the message is clear to all – this House has spoken and now is not the time to obstruct the democratically expressed wishes of the British people.“But the message is clear to all – this House has spoken and now is not the time to obstruct the democratically expressed wishes of the British people.
“It is time to get on with leaving the European Union and building an independent, self-governing, global Britain.”“It is time to get on with leaving the European Union and building an independent, self-governing, global Britain.”
She made the remarks while giving a statement to the House of Commons on last week’s informal summit in Malta. On Monday night, the government looked likely to see off amendments seeking better parliamentary scrutiny and a greater say for the devolved administrations. However, opposition MPs are hoping to gain support from rebel Tories during the remaining two days of debate.
May was pressed several times to guarantee the rights of EU nationals living in the UK, with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn saying it was a matter of human rights and decency. Speaking in the Commons, May hinted that more detail could be given about the form of the vote after negotiations when David Davis, the Brexit secretary, addresses parliament on Tuesday, which may be enough to dissuade backbench Tories from rebelling.
The prime minister insisted it would be a matter for early agreement during the negotiations with the EU and she was confident of a deal, while claiming it was “not the right way forward” to make a unilateral declaration. The shadow cabinet will decide on Tuesday whether to back the Brexit bill on the final vote, regardless of whether their amendments pass.
Nick Brown, the Labour chief whip, told the parliamentary party on Monday night that he was in favour of “consistency” in whipping, suggesting the party will stick to its position of asking MPs to vote in favour of triggering article 50.
However, it is understood some shadow cabinet ministers have been pressing the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to abstain on the final vote, which would be in keeping with his promise not to block the bill.
The scale of division facing the party over Brexit was underlined after one of Corbyn’s key trade union backers called on Labour MPs to defy the whip if the leadership asks them to vote for an unamended bill in favour of triggering article 50.
Manuel Cortes, the general secretary of the TSSA, which backed Corbyn’s two leadership campaigns, said he supported Labour’s vote in favour of article 50 last week, but the bill should not be allowed to pass unamended.
In particular, he said Labour should not vote for Brexit without receiving guarantees about the rights of EU nationals to stay in the UK and other key amendments on workers’ rights and parliamentary scrutiny.
“The idea of the Tories deploying the threat of mass deportation of EU families living here as a negotiating ace is unacceptable,” he wrote in an article for the Guardian. “That alone should be enough to prove why waving through an unamended Tory Brexit bill is a big mistake.
“If Labour’s amendments fail, then the facts change and our Labour party must face that circumstance and do the right thing and whip our MPs into voting against an unamended Tory Brexit. If they don’t, then our MPs must do the right thing and vote against it anyway.”
Corbyn told May on Monday that guaranteeing the position of EU nationals in the UK was a matter of human rights and decency.
However, the prime minister said it was “not the right way forward” to make a unilateral declaration preserving their rights when UK nationals in the rest of the EU have no such assurances yet.
“As I have said before, EU citizens living in the UK make a vital contribution to our economy and our society and without them we would be poorer and our public services weaker,” she said.“As I have said before, EU citizens living in the UK make a vital contribution to our economy and our society and without them we would be poorer and our public services weaker,” she said.
“So we will make securing the reciprocal agreement that will guarantee their status a priority as soon as the negotiations begin, and I want to see this agreed as soon as possible because that is in everyone’s interests.”“So we will make securing the reciprocal agreement that will guarantee their status a priority as soon as the negotiations begin, and I want to see this agreed as soon as possible because that is in everyone’s interests.”