The British parliament’s upper house, the House of Lords, on Monday (February 20) began debating legislation which would give Prime Minister Theresa May the power to trigger Britain’s exit from the European Union.
Earlier this month the lower house, the House of Commons, passed the Article 50 legislation without amending it.
“It comes to us with a strong mandate from both the people and the elected house and we should not overlook that,” Leader of the Lords, Baroness Evans, said.
The legislation is not expected to be blocked by the Lords, but the government could be forced into making concessions as it does not have a majority in the upper house.
In an unusual move, May attended the opening of the debate in person and stared intently as Leader of the Opposition, Labour’s Baroness Smith, gave her speech.
“We will not block, wreck or sabotage the legislation before us…but I’ve also said, neither should we provide the government with a blank cheque. It would be irresponsible to merrily wave the government off to negotiate our future without parliamentary engagement or accountability and merely ask them to return two years later with a deal. If sovereignty is to mean anything, it has to mean parliamentary responsibility,” said Smith.
Liberal Democrat peer, Lord Newby, scoffed at the government’s rosy portrayal of a post-Brexit Britain and the idea that the nation had come together after the divisive referendum.
“She hopes that by whistling a happy tune all will work out well,” he said.
If the bill is amended by the Lords, these amendments will be passed back to the House of Commons for approval. The bill will be passed back and forth, a process known as “ping pong,” until both houses agree on the wording of the bill. There is no time limit to this process.
The government has said it expects this process to be completed in time for May to stick to her timetable of triggering formal divorce talks by the end of March.
(Reuters)
