Labour exit bill proposal will not give Brits the Brexit they deserve
The Brexit Secretary says proposed Labour amendment to exit bill will work in 'direct opposition to the British people,' in his exclusive comment for The Sun
JUST under three years ago, Parliament voted overwhelmingly to give the British people a choice: to stay in the European Union or to leave.
Since then we have kept Parliament involved. My ministers have made over 30 appearances to answer questions and debate the issues. And we will be giving Parliament a vote on the final deal when we have concluded our negotiations with the EU.
When all is said and done, I’m a Parliamentarian before a Minister, and a democrat before a Conservative.
But there is a clear distinction between the important work of revising legislation and attempting to overturn the referendum result to keep the UK inside the European Union, in direct opposition to the British people.
The amendment Labour have proposed today in the House of Lords is at risk of doing just that.
There are three crucial reasons why the Government could never accept it.
Firstly, the amendment tries to secure a vote for Parliament before the negotiations have concluded. This is, quite frankly, nonsensical — because nothing in this negotiation is agreed until everything is agreed.
Second, it demands specific votes by artificial deadlines which, if not met, would give Parliament the power to micromanage the Government on how to carry out these negotiations.
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This would give the EU Commission a clear incentive to delay the negotiations or present unacceptable propositions until the deadline has passed and the Government is stripped of its ability to negotiate freely.
This fundamental change to the balance of our constitution would be both unprecedented and unworkable.
And in our negotiations with the EU to date, the progress we have made has in part been down to the flexibility that both sides have shown.
Imagine if every quick decision, proposal or response the Prime Minister and I have to take instead had to be timetabled, debated and voted on by over a thousand MPs and peers?
Finally, the amendment proposes giving Parliament the power to direct the Government on anything relating to the negotiations – including extending the negotiation process and keeping the UK in the EU indefinitely.
Sure, the peers proposing it may claim it is about keeping power in Parliament or ensuring their votes are ‘meaningful’.
But those who want to overturn the result of the Referendum have been calling for a ‘no Brexit option’ for months, and this amendment would grant it to them.
This is not what the British people want, and it is not something that we can accept.
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