We must trust the voters, says May as Brexit rebels retreat
THERESA MAY has told MPS they must “trust the judgment” of the British people who voted to leave the EU, as she saw off a rebellion over her flagship Brexit bill yesterday.
The Prime Minister, who expects further “obstacles” as more Brexit legislation passes through Parliament next month, warned that “nothing would hurt our democracy more” than failing to deliver what the people demanded.
After making an 11th-hour concession to Tory rebels that enabled her to get the EU Withdrawal Bill through, Mrs May told them: “Now it’s time to unite as a country and as a party and focus on getting the best deal for Britain.”
The Prime Minister gave ground to the rebels by saying the Speaker would have the final say on whether Parliament could instruct the Government in the event of a “no deal” Brexit.
It was enough to persuade Dominic Grieve, leader of the group of around 15 Tory rebels, to back down after he claimed “common sense” had prevailed.
A House of Lords amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill, that would have given MPS the ability to instruct the Government in the event of “no deal” or a deal being rejected by Parliament, was defeated by 319-303 votes.
The passage of the Bill into law will mean EU laws will now be taken on to the British statute books to avoid a legal “cliff edge” when the UK leaves.
Speaking at a reception at the Policy Exchange think tank last night, Mrs May said: “Time and again we have overcome the obstacles and made progress towards our goal ... now it’s time to unite as a country and as a party and focus on getting the best Brexit deal for Britain.
“More people voted to leave the European Union than have voted for anything else ever in our history, and I think nothing would hurt our democracy more than to give the people the choice and then not to trust their judg- ment when they give it.”
Labour MPS accused Mr Grieve of falling for a “meaningless” compromise that had changed nothing.
The Tories were criticised for forcing Naz Shah, the Labour MP who has been in hospital this week, to be pushed through the division lobby in a wheelchair with a sick bowl in her lap after refusing to allow tellers to “nod through” her vote.
Anyone tuning into the House of Commons debate on Brexit yesterday expecting a battle royale, with the Government fighting off the rebels in its own ranks, was sorely disappointed. Far from being the promised crunch moment for Theresa May, it was an arcane procedural wrangle that even expert constitutionalists would have struggled to follow.
Supposedly, the issue was the Government’s promise to give Parliament a “meaningful vote” on the outcome of the Brexit negotiations. Remainers are concerned that, in the event of no deal, there will be no way of stopping the UK crashing out of the EU. They want the final vote to be amendable, which would in theory allow Brexit to be reversed. The Government objected that this would tie the Prime Minister’s hands in the negotiations. The EU could just sit back, offer nothing and wait for a panicked parliament to overturn Brexit.
In the event, the great clash did not materialise because the leader of the insurrection, Dominic Grieve, decided not to support his own amendment after receiving fresh assurances about the sovereignty of Parliament and its rights. If no deal is reached by January 21, then the Speaker will decide whether MPS could amend the meaningful vote motion, putting huge power into the hands of John Bercow, a noted Remainer. Labour dismissed this as meaningless, but Mr Grieve was satisfied and the revolt fizzled out.
This has been an often baffling episode in the Brexit story, but the EU Withdrawal Bill is finally through Parliament to make a reality of the referendum decision two years ago. Now an unencumbered Mrs May needs to get on and secure the deal.