House of Commons set for Brexit amendment showdown

Theresa May has set the stage for a major parliamentary confrontation over Brexit on Wednesday after she ruled out accepting an amendment to the EU withdrawal Bill on what MPs can do if she fails to agree an exit deal with the European Union.

MPs will debate an amendment approved by the House of Lords on Monday night which would give parliament a meaningful vote on the outcome of the Brexit negotiations.

The vote, which would be triggered if MPs rejected Ms May’s deal or if she failed to reach a deal by January 21st, 2019, would be on a motion proposed by the government which could be amended to express parliament’s view about what the prime minister should do next. The government has proposed its own version, which would give MPs a vote but only on a motion that was non-binding and could not be amended.

“Agreeing to amendable motions would allow parliament to direct government on its approach to exiting the EU, binding the prime minister’s hands and making it harder to secure a good deal for the UK. It also does not meet the reasonable tests set out last week by the prime minister and the secretary of state for exiting the European Union that any new amendment must respect the referendum result, cannot undermine the negotiations or change the constitutional role of parliament and government,” the prime minister’s official spokesman said on Tuesday.

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‘Right balance’

“Our original amendment struck the right balance between respecting the tests set out by the government as well as delivering on the aims of Dominic Grieve’s own amendment. That’s why we will be re-tabling our original amendment today and will look to overturn the Lords decision tomorrow.”

The amendment approved by the Lords this week is based on an agreement former attorney general Mr Grieve thought he had sealed with the government last week before ministers changed the wording at the last minute. Mr Grieve led a group of 14 Conservative backbenchers who agreed to vote with the government last week after Ms May promised that a new government amendment would address their concerns.

“I am hopeful the government will listen to what has come back from the Lords and we may be able to achieve some form of sensible compromise,” Mr Grieve told the BBC on Tuesday.

“The differences between us is not very great, but it is a significant difference. It is absolutely right parliament cannot micromanage the government’s negotiating. To be absolutely clear, if this amendment was carried in the Commons, it would not force the government to do something.”

Last chance

Labour's shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer said Wednesday's vote was parliament's last chance to secure a meaningful vote and prevent a no-deal Brexit.

“Last week, Theresa May broke the promise she made to her own backbenchers and forced this issue back on the table. This vote is not about stopping Brexit or tying the hands of UK negotiators. It is about making sure parliament has a truly meaningful say on the terms of the final Brexit deal. It is about protecting jobs and the economy from the risk of UK crashing out of the EU without a deal,” he said.