U.K. Lawmakers Debate March Deadline for Triggering Brexit

Labour Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer denied it was a vote on Article 50 but rather one on forcing the government to offer a plan with “enough detail and clarity to end the circus of uncertainty” over Britain’s future ties to the EU’s single market of 500 million consumers.

Theresa May announced that backbenchers and opposition MPs will vote on her timetable for triggering Article 50 on Wednesday.

It comes as the Supreme Court considers whether Theresa May can get on with Brexit negotiations without MPs’ approval.

“It is vital that there is full scrutiny and accountability during the process”, Labour lawmaker Hilary Benn, chair of parliament’s Brexit committee, said.

He concluded: “We’re happy to support the spirit of this motion, with the vital caveat that nothing we say will jeopardise our negotiating position”.

He said: “Absent of plan, absent knowing the objectives, absent knowing the starting position, the Government would then negotiate for two years without telling us any of that details”. “The question is what it looks like”.

Mrs May had said that she did not want to give away her tactics by revealing plans.

“There are 15 elections [of the negotiating period] and, of course, we’ve already had two events this weekend – a referendum [in Italy] and another election [Austria] – there is no point in that period where an election isn’t underway”, he said.

This means the Prime Minister can count on the party’s MPs to back her timetable for triggering Brexit.

Shadow ministers Tulip Siddiq, Catherine West and Daniel Zeichner along with fellow Labour MPs Rushanara Ali, Ben Bradshaw, Jim Dowd, Paul Farrelly, Mike Gapes and David Lammy voted against the motion.

A further amendment backed by Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru MPs calls for “a formal role for the devolved administrations including their agreement before Article 50 is triggered”, while the Liberal Democrats have tabled a demand for a second referendum on the outcome of negotiations.

The party wanted to force the government to reveal its negotiating stance before formal talks with European Union leaders get under way.

The SNP’s Europe spokesman, Stephen Gethins, accused the government of being “shamefully silent” on its preparations for Brexit, and warned that the “vacuum has resulted in absolute chaos at the heart of Downing Street”.

“Any decision to leave the European Union will have a significant impact on areas that are the responsibility of the devolved administrations and that must be respected throughout this process”. The party urged Labour to support the amendment or risk backing a “damaging” hard-right Tory Brexit.

The shadow Brexit secretary, Sir Keir Starmer, told Sky News: It’s not entirely clear at the moment that the Government has got a plan, it needs to have a plan by March, and it needs to disclose that plan. Labour will hold the government to account on this.

MPs from across the House of Commons spoke during long debate.

It also amended the motion being debated Wednesday to add that Parliament “calls on the government to invoke Article 50” by March 31.

The Guardian reported that support for soft-Brexit was gaining round and quoted former education secretary Nick Morgan as saying: ‘I welcome the government’s recognition that they will need to publish a Brexit plan which can be scrutinised by MPs on behalf of their constituents, however they voted on 23 June.