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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/oct/18/brexit-strategy-in-paralysis-as-eu-withdrawal-bill-delayed
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| Brexit plan 'in paralysis', with ministers set to delay EU withdrawal bill | Brexit plan 'in paralysis', with ministers set to delay EU withdrawal bill |
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| The government will be forced to delay bringing the EU withdrawal bill back to the House of Commons for a second time, as it struggles to respond to hundreds of hostile amendments, Labour sources expect. | The government will be forced to delay bringing the EU withdrawal bill back to the House of Commons for a second time, as it struggles to respond to hundreds of hostile amendments, Labour sources expect. |
| MPs on both sides of the house had expected debate on the next stage of the complex bill to kick off next week – but the leader of the house, Andrea Leadsom, is now expected to confirm on Thursday that it will not feature in next week’s parliamentary timetable. | MPs on both sides of the house had expected debate on the next stage of the complex bill to kick off next week – but the leader of the house, Andrea Leadsom, is now expected to confirm on Thursday that it will not feature in next week’s parliamentary timetable. |
| That could mean the bill not coming back to the Commons until after a week-long recess early next month. With the budget due on 22 November, the government may struggle to fit in the eight days of debate necessary before Christmas. | That could mean the bill not coming back to the Commons until after a week-long recess early next month. With the budget due on 22 November, the government may struggle to fit in the eight days of debate necessary before Christmas. |
| The shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, said the fresh delay called into question the prime minister’s ability to press ahead with Brexit. | The shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, said the fresh delay called into question the prime minister’s ability to press ahead with Brexit. |
| “This is further proof that the government’s Brexit strategy is in paralysis. The negotiations are in deadlock and now a crucial piece of legislation is facing further delay. | “This is further proof that the government’s Brexit strategy is in paralysis. The negotiations are in deadlock and now a crucial piece of legislation is facing further delay. |
| “There is chaos at the heart of government. Theresa May cannot unite her cabinet or her party behind this deeply flawed bill. There are now serious questions about whether the prime minister can deliver Brexit.” | “There is chaos at the heart of government. Theresa May cannot unite her cabinet or her party behind this deeply flawed bill. There are now serious questions about whether the prime minister can deliver Brexit.” |
| Labour’s shadow Brexit team has tabled more than 20 amendments to the bill, and warned that it will vote against it in its current form. | Labour’s shadow Brexit team has tabled more than 20 amendments to the bill, and warned that it will vote against it in its current form. |
| Pro-EU backbenchers, convened by the all-party parliamentary group on European relations, chaired by Labour’s Chuka Umunna and the Conservative Anna Soubry, have also cooperated to lay down scores of other amendments, more than a dozen of which have enough Conservative signatures to potentially threaten May’s majority. | Pro-EU backbenchers, convened by the all-party parliamentary group on European relations, chaired by Labour’s Chuka Umunna and the Conservative Anna Soubry, have also cooperated to lay down scores of other amendments, more than a dozen of which have enough Conservative signatures to potentially threaten May’s majority. |
| Umunna said: “I am not at all surprised. It is a badly drafted bill and badly thought through. The number of amendments has given ministers a lot to think about, which shows parliament is taking back control and already doing its job of scrutiny well on this.” | |
| Concerns covered by the amendments include the scope of so-called Henry VIII powers, which Labour has warned amount to a significant power grab by ministers; protections for human rights, and the issue of whether parliament would be given a vote before Britain plunged out of the EU without a deal. | Concerns covered by the amendments include the scope of so-called Henry VIII powers, which Labour has warned amount to a significant power grab by ministers; protections for human rights, and the issue of whether parliament would be given a vote before Britain plunged out of the EU without a deal. |
| The withdrawal bill, which May announced as the “great repeal bill”, at last year’s Conservative party conference, is a key piece of legislation laying the groundwork for Brexit, by bringing EU legislation into UK law, and repealing the European Communities Act. | The withdrawal bill, which May announced as the “great repeal bill”, at last year’s Conservative party conference, is a key piece of legislation laying the groundwork for Brexit, by bringing EU legislation into UK law, and repealing the European Communities Act. |
| Leadsom conceded last week that the government would need more time to sift through more than 300 amendments; but backbench rebels believe the longer she delays, the more time it gives them to organise their attack on what the former attorney general Dominic Grieve has called an “astonishing monstrosity” in its current form. | Leadsom conceded last week that the government would need more time to sift through more than 300 amendments; but backbench rebels believe the longer she delays, the more time it gives them to organise their attack on what the former attorney general Dominic Grieve has called an “astonishing monstrosity” in its current form. |
| A Department for Exiting the European Union spokesman said: “The withdrawal bill is an essential piece of legislation in the national interest. It is completely false to suggest that there has been a delay to the bill as it has yet to be scheduled to enter committee stage. The process is straightforward: the leader of the house will announce the next week’s business at business questions tomorrow.” |