Brexit amendment rejected

The Prime Minister has narrowly escaped defeat by making last-minute concessions over the House of Lords amendment to give Parliament a ‘meaningful vote’ on the final Brexit deal.  

The amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill was rejected by just 26 votes. PM Theresa May quelled dissent by calling Conservative rebels into her office shortly before the vote and personally assuring them of a bigger say for MPs if she fails to reach a deal, and that she would spell out more details by the end of this week.

Peers could reinstate their plan when the Bill returns to the House of Lords, giving rebel MPs a second chance to hold May to account.

MPs also won a concession from the government that there would be no physical checks at the Northern Irish border.

Several MPs expressed anger at the lack of time allowed for debate, with Scottish Labour and SNP MPs particularly enraged that a mere 15 minutes were given to the subject of devolution.

An amendment to remove the date of exit from the Bill was defeated and the original date, 29 March 2019, reinstated.

Ahead of the debate, Justice Minister Phillip Lee resigned his office to vote against the government.

MPs were due to vote on amendments relating to membership of the single market and the customs union, on the second day of the debate, at the time of going to press.

Rosling King senior partner, Georgina Squire said: ‘After Brexit, we face considerable legal uncertainty—not only as to how our court system will be used, but also the laws it will enforce.

‘It can boil down to practicalities such as buying a car directly from an EU manufacturer after Brexit, which is faulty. Where does the recourse lie? Parliament is debating broad issues, but the details will affect us all every day and are far reaching.’