09-02-2017

Brexit Bill: Passed

On Wednesday 8 February, the House of Commons approved the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill without amendments.

494 MPs voted in favor, 112 against. All proposed amendments were rejected. "The Government’s concession that Parliament will be allowed to vote on the negotiation result is largely meaningless", according to cep’s Van Roosebeke. “When the Parliament were to reject the results of the exit negotiations, it is hardly likely the EU would be willing to renegotiate with the UK. As a consequence, two years after initiating the exit negotiations, the UK would leave the EU in an unordered manner. For trade, this would mean that the UK would have to recur to WTO rules”.

The Brexit Bill will now be passed to the House of Lords where the stages – second reading, committee (when substantive amendments can be made) and third reading – are repeated. By 7 March the bill is expected to pass the House of Lords. According to current plans, Prime Minister Theresa May will formally notify the British intention to leave the EU according to Article 50 TEU at the EU summit on 9 March 2017.

Publications by cep on Brexit: The UK Government’s Brexit White Paper and "Ukraine Plus" as a Model for Brexit.