A chance for MPs to shape our future

THE leaders of the SNP and Plaid Cymru sat down together in Westminster yesterday as their parties prepare for key Brexit votes.

Nicola Sturgeon and Adam Price hope to see Scotland and Wales become independent nation states – but they are determined to use their clout in Westminster to influence the course of Brexit.

The tensions between the DUP – who vehemently oppose the draft Withdrawal Agreement – and the Conservatives have exposed the fragility of Theresa May’s minority government, which relies on the support of the Northern Ireland party to stay in power.

Together, the SNP, Plaid, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens’ MP account for 52 of the UK Parliament’s 650 members. In a legislature in which no party has a majority and there are clear splits within the two biggest parties over Europe, 52 members could well have the opportunity to exert influence on the outcome of historic votes.

The parties can also seek to amend legislation to champion their key priorities. They are a force to be reckoned with.

Mrs May’s strategists will be planning right now when and how to stage a “meaningful vote” on the Brexit deal and then introduce the legislation to make it a reality.

Mr Price has set out his wish for an extension to the Article 50 process, under which the UK will leave the EU on March 29, and has made no secret of his desire for a second referendum. Achieving these goals would require intense cooperation across party lines with people who share similar concerns, values and priorities.

Just as Plaid and the SNP have to make major decisions about the approach they will adopt to Brexit, individual MPs on both sides of the Brexit argument in both Labour and Conservative ranks will have to decide whether to follow the party whip or their convictions in a series of genuinely historic votes.

This is a moment when pro-EU Labour and Tory MPs may feel they have more in common with each other than Brexiteer members of their own parties. MPs regularly face vexing decisions about what is best for their constituencies, their party and their country – not to mention their own careers – but these dilemmas will appear particularly stark in the days ahead.

Every MP has a responsibility to examine the evidence and the fullest range of options and to make his or her mind up. Their duty to defend the vulnerable should give them courage.