Theresa May offers to compromise with Tory MPs furious about a government power grab in landmark Brexit Bill
EU Withdrawal Bill debated for the first time by the Commons ahead of showdown vote
THERESA May offered to compromise with Tory MPs furious about a government power grab in the landmark Brexit bill.
The giant EU Withdrawal Bill will be debated for the first time by the Commons, ahead of an initial showdown vote on Monday.
A Conservative backbench rebellion is growing over ‘Henry VII powers’ granted to ministers in it that allow them to modify huge chunks of EU law without MPs’ scrutiny.
Ministers argue that the special measures are the only way to shift 12,000 EU regulations into British law in time for Brexit.
But ex-Attorney General Dominic Grieve branded the move “rule by decree” that would see “our domestic constitution and liberties vandalised”.
Offering an olive branch to defuse the revolt, Mrs May said she will “listen very carefully” to MPs’ concerns – a big hint she will bring in changes.
But she also warned the rebels that their demands must not be a secret attempt to halt Brexit.
The PM said: “We’ve made time for proper parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit legislation, and I look forward to the contributions of MPs from across the House.
“But that contribution should fit with our shared aim: to help get the best Brexit for Britain.”
As well as delivering on voters’ verdict, she also argued the bill is also “the single most important step we can take to prevent a cliff-edge for people and businesses, because it provides legal certainty”.
In another bid to build consensus, Brexit Secretary David Davis also invited MPs on all sides to work with him to deliver the jumbo law.
Opening the debate with the PM sat at his side, he will tell MPs that the bill is “the foundation upon which we will legislate for years to come”.
MOST READ IN POLITICS
Mr Davis will say: “We are not rejecting EU law, but embracing the work done between member states in 40 years of membership, and using that solid foundation to build on in the future, once we return to being masters of our own laws”.
A second row is also raging on how long MPs will have to debate at the mammoth piece of legislation at the next committee stage.
Ministers want just six days, while MPs were given 20 to discuss the Maastricht Treaty in the 1990s.
Treasury Select Committee chair Nicky Morgan added: “When people voted to take back control, I believe they wanted control to come back to a sovereign parliament at Westminster, not to an all-powerful government in Whitehall”.