The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Defiance over ‘power grab’
Brexit: Labour leader urges opposition MPs to vote against vital bill
Jeremy Corbyn has called on all Labour MPs to follow him in voting down a flagship Brexit bill, despite government ministers warning defeat would cause chaos and confusion.
Downing Street has said it is confident of victory in the crunch second reading vote on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, which was expected in the early hours of this morning.
But ministers were taking no chances, with Boris Johnson and David Davis issuing last-minute pleas to
“We want parliamentary scrutiny, accountability”
back the bill, which repeals the 1972 act which took Britain into the European Economic Community and incorporates relevant EU rules and regulations into the domestic lawbook.
Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson said defeat would result in a “disorderly” departure from the bloc in March 2019, while Brexit Secretary Mr Davis warned: “A vote against this bill is a vote for a chaotic exit from the European Union.”
Mr Corbyn restated his determination to lead Labour MPs into the No lobby, insisting the bill represents “a power grab by the Government at the expense of our democratically elected Parliament”, because it would give ministers authority to amend laws without full scrutiny.
Vowing not to hand over powers on issues such as workers’ rights and environmental protection to Mr Davis, the Labour leader said: “We will oppose the bill tonight because we want parliamentary scrutiny, we want democratic accountability of the government in how it reacts to the result of the referendum.
“That’s why we are voting the way we are tonight and I would urge all colleagues to do the same.”
The Liberal Democrats, who will oppose the legislation, have urged the Labour leader to sack any frontbenchers who defy the whip or risk his party’s shift towards a “softer” Brexit being exposed as a “sham”.
Three votes are expected, on a Labour amendment, the main second reading motion and the programme motion, which sets out the time available for MPs to go through the Bill line by line in the Commons.