Brexit bill clears final hurdles in Parliament

LONDON — The British government saw its flagship Brexit legislation pass through Parliament on Wednesday, but remains locked in a tussle with lawmakers over the direction of the country’s departure fromthe European Union.

The EU Withdrawal Bill was approved after Prime Minister Theresa May’s government narrowly won a key vote. The House of Commons rejected by 319303 a proposal to require Parliament’s approval before the government agrees to a final divorce deal with the EU — or before walking away from the bloc without anagreement.

Later in the day, the withdrawal bill — intended to replace thousands of EU rules and regulations with U.K. statute on the day Britain leaves the bloc — also passed in the unelected House of Lords, its last parliamentary hurdle. It will become law once it receives royal assent, a formality.

A majority of lawmakers favor retaining close ties with the bloc, so if the amendment requiring parliamentary approval had been adopted, it would have reduced the chances of a “no deal” Brexit. That’s a scenario feared by U.K. businesses but favored by some euroskeptic members of Ms. May’s Conservative minority government, who want a cleanbreak from the EU.

Ms. May faced rebellion last week from pro-EU Conservative legislators, but avoided defeat by promising that Parliament would get a “meaningful vote” on the U.K.-EU divorce agreement before Brexit occurs in March.

Pro-EU lawmakers later accused the government of going back on its word by offering a symbolic “take it or leave it” vote on the final deal, not the ability to take control of negotiations.

Labour Party Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer accused Ms. May of telling Parliament: “Tough luck. If you don’t like my proposed deal, you can have somethingmuch worse.”

The rebels sought to amend the flagship bill so they could send the government back to the negotiating table if they don’t like the deal, or if talks with the EU break down.

The government claimed that would undermine its negotiating hand with the EU. But Brexit Secretary David Davis also told lawmakers it would be for the Commons speaker to decide whether lawmakers could amend any motion on a Brexit deal that was put to the House of Commons.