British Prime Minister Theresa May yesterday faced a showdown with her pro-EU lawmakers over parliament’s role in the final Brexit deal, which could influence her entire negotiation strategy.
MPs were to vote on amendments to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill setting out how much power lawmakers will have if the government fails to agree a departure deal before Brexit in March next year.
May said she expected to get an agreement with Brussels, but warned that any attempt to tie her hands could undermine the ongoing negotiations.
Photo: Reuters
Last week, she averted a rebellion by pro-EU lawmakers in her Conservative Party on the issue of parliamentary powers with a promise of a compromise, but within days they had rejected her proposal as inadequate.
Instead, they worked with peers to introduce their own amendment to the unelected upper House of Lords, which on Monday approved it by a landslide.
The amendment now returns to lawmakers in the elected House of Commons, where Conservative rebels were to jon forces with opposition parties in a bid to finally make it law.
May’s spokesman refused to say if he believed the government has the numbers to win the vote, but made it clear that no more concessions would be forthcoming.
“We cannot accept the amendment on a meaningful vote agreed in the Lords,” he said, adding that it “would undermine our ability in the negotiations to get the best deal for the country.”
“We will be retabling our original amendment,” he said.
“We hope that all MPs will be able to support the government’s position,” he added.
The vote could have implications for Britain’s wider Brexit strategy, indicating where the power lies in parliament.
May commands only a slim majority in the 650-seat Commons, made possible through an alliance with Northern Ireland’s 10 Democratic Unionist Party lawmakers.
A victory for the pro-EU rebels would embolden them ahead of debates next month on Britain’s future trading relationship with the EU, which they are seeking to keep as close as possible.
It would likely anger euroskeptics, who accuse the rebels of seeking to thwart Brexit.
They are also becoming increasingly frustrated with the withdrawal process under May’s leadership.
Leading Conservative rebel Dominic Grieve denied he was trying to undermine the government or stop Brexit, but added that if parliament rejected the final Brexit deal, there would be a crisis.
“That’s what wakes me up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat,” he told Sky News television.
“The very reason I’ve prompted this amendment is to provide a mechanism to make sure that we don’t come to government collapse immediately.”
However, euroskeptic Conservative lawmaker Graham Stringer said Grieve and his supporters were only interested in “sabotaging the whole process.”
“The purpose of the latest Grieve ruse is to give parliament the power to delay or stop Brexit,” he said.
Despite agreement on Britain’s financial settlement and EU citizens’ rights, the Brexit talks are progressing slowly, and there are few hopes of a breakthrough at an EU summit later this month.
Both sides are still publicly aiming for an agreement in October, but this is looking increasingly difficult.
Negotiations are stalled on how to avoid border checks between Northern Ireland, a part of the UK, and neighboring EU member Ireland, when Britain develops its own trade and customs policies.
“Serious divergences” remain over Northern Ireland, European Chief Negotiator for the UK Exiting the EU Michel Barnier said on Tuesday after a final round of talks between London and Brussels ahead of the European summit.
The British government has also yet to decide on what it wants from the future economic relationship.
It has been clear about one area, security cooperation — but many of its proposals were on Tuesday knocked back by Barnier.
He said Britain could not stay in the European Arrest Warrant, take part in meetings of policing agency Europol or access EU-only police databases.
“We need more realism about what is and what is not possible,” he said.
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