CLIMBDOWN
Prime Minister scraps plan to bypass House of Commons
THERESA May has made an embarrassing Brexit climbdown by ditching plans to give ministers sweeping powers to change laws without the approval of parliament.
The so-called Henry VIII powers have been dropped in favour of a special “sifting committee” to scrutinise any proposed changes.
Several Tory MPs had voiced their concerns about the proposal and were planning to join forces with Labour and the SNP to wipe out May’s slender majority and defeat the Government.
Just 48 hours before the crunch vote, No10 said it was accepting the amendment in the name of Conservative backbencher Charles Walker.
May’s spokesman said: “We have said from the outset that we will look at the amendments and where we consider that improvements can be made to the legislation, we will respond to them.”
But Eloise Todd, head of the pro-EU campaign group Best for Britain, said: “This is an embarrassing climbdown from a shambles of a government. They have no majority and no clue.”
The Government also face a tight vote on Wednesday that would give the Commons a final say on the trade and Brexit deal.
Brexiteers fear that last week’s trade talks could result suspect in a soft Brexit. But May assured her own side the Brexit deal meant that, in future, the Commons will have “regulatory autonomy” to get to decide on its own laws.
The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford asked if her claims guaranteed there would be no enforcement of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. May replied: “He can Google it and find from Hansard (transcripts of Parliamentary debate) how many times I have said it.
“Indeed, if he listened to my statement and looked at my statement, I said the joint report reaffirms our guarantee that there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.”