Davis predicts Brexit ping pong with Lords
Bill to trigger Article 50 will be subject to scrutiny and change but starting gun will be fired in March
THE Brexit Secretary has admitted that the Government faces a “ping pong” fight with the House of Lords which could lead to the Article 50 Bill being rewritten.
David Davis hinted that ministers were braced for a battle with peers over legislation to trigger talks about the UK’s exit from the European Union, which Theresa May has promised to do before the end of March this year.
Mr Davis said there would be “some passing backwards and forwards” of the Bill between the Commons and the Lords, suggesting he expected peers to defeat the Government and make changes to the tightly worded legislation.
But he insisted the Bill would clear in time for the Prime Minister to meet her March deadline, saying he expected the starting gun to be fired at some point that month.
Mr Davis also reassured EU citizens living in the UK that the Government wanted discussion of their rights, and those of Britons on the Continent, to be the first item on the negotiating table. Talks would cover issues including social support and health care.
He also said the UK would “meet our responsibilities” when it comes to a socalled Brexit bill made up of ongoing liabilities to the EU.
Speaking at a press conference in Stockholm with Sweden’s EU minister Ann Linde, Mr Davis highlighted how the European Union (Notification Of Withdrawal) Bill had passed through the Commons “very straightforwardly” with “very solid majorities”. Mr Davis, who has previously said peers had a “patriotic duty” to pass the Bill, insisted they would be allowed to do their job of scrutinising the legislation and, with the Government lacking a majority in the upper house, acknowledged there could be defeats for ministers.
He said the Commons had reached “very clear decisions” and “because of that I expect the upper house, it will do its job of scrutiny, we’ll have some passing backwards and forward, we call it ping pong, you can imagine why, backwards and forwards of the Bill, but I expect that to be resolved in good time before the end of March.” He added that he was “confident” Article 50 would be triggered on the Government’s timetable, but that did not mean the formal notification would be given at a summit of EU leaders on March 9.
Ms Linde raised the rights of EU nationals in the UK, pointing out that around 100,000 Swedes live in the UK and 30,000 Britons reside in Sweden.
She said they “must not become a bargaining chip” in the negotiations.
Mr Davis said he wanted the situation resolved as quickly as possible, adding: “I don’t see any reason for anybody else to hold this up, once the negotiation starts properly.”
Mrs May has also indicated she wants to see an early deal on the future of EU citizens in the UK and British nationals abroad. However, the Prime Minister has made clear that the two agreements must come hand in hand, in order to protect UK citizens from being used as part of the negotiations by other member states.
Pressed on the possibility of the UK facing a Brexit fee, reportedly up to 60billion euros (£51 billion), Mr Davis said: “We are a law-abiding nation, we meet our responsibilities but we are going into a negotiation, so you would not expect me to respond immediately to that. If we have a mutually beneficial long-term outcome I believe all issues can be resolved.”