Britain on Wednesday moved closer to leaving the EU as lawmakers backed a bill authorizing divorce proceedings and kept alive the government’s plan to trigger Brexit talks within weeks.
The British House of Commons decisively backed the bill by 498 votes to 114, sending it on for committee scrutiny. The result was a victory for the Conservative government, which had fought in court to avert the vote out of fear parliament would impede its Brexit plans.
Lawmakers also defeated a “wrecking amendment” proposed by the Scottish National Party that sought to delay Britain’s exit talks with the EU because the British government has not disclosed detailed plans for its negotiations.
During two days of debate in the House of Commons, many lawmakers said they would back the bill out of respect for voters’ decision on June 23 last year to leave the EU.
However, opposition parties will try to insert more amendments during the next stages of the parliamentary process. They are seeking to prevent a “hard Brexit,” in which Britain would lose full access to the EU’s single market and faces restrictions or tariffs on trade.
After committee consideration, the bill is to return to the House of Commons for a final vote next week before moving on to the British House of Lords.
The government was forced to introduce the legislation after a UK Supreme Court ruling last week torpedoed British Prime Minister Theresa May’s effort to start the process of leaving the 28-nation bloc without a parliamentary vote.
The government wants to have the bill approved by early next month so it can meet a self-imposed March 31 deadline for triggering the EU divorce talks.
Scores of lawmakers spoke during more than 16 hours of debate over two days. Those who backed the winning “leave” side in the referendum said they would vote proudly to start the exit process.
Others, who voted to remain in the EU, said they would respect the will of the people despite their own reservations.
“To vote against the majority verdict of the largest democratic exercise in British history” would set parliament against the people and “provoke a deep constitutional crisis in our country,” former British chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne, a pro-EU Conservative, said.
Others said they would oppose the start of divorce negotiations, accusing the government of rushing Britain toward the EU exit door with little idea of what is on the other side.
The government has said it would publish a white paper outlining its strategy for withdrawal yesterday, but it was unclear how many new details it would contain.
“Voting for departure is not the same as voting for a destination,” said Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, who called on the government to guarantee a second referendum to approve a final deal with the bloc.
Scottish National Party lawmaker Angus MacNeil said that in acting to trigger Brexit, “the House of Commons has taken leave of its senses.”
“It’s crossing its fingers and hoping for the best,” he said.
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