I’m not giving up, vows Gina Miller

Ms Miller, who was lead campaigner in the article 50 case, was reacting to the very short – two-paragraph – bill presented by the government yesterday, giving the Prime Minister power to trigger the UK’s exit from the EU, as well as the Labour Party’s decision to order its MPs to vote in favour of it.

“Why is the Labour Party ordering a three-line whip? It’s a disgrace. The whole thing makes no sense at all,” she told Connexion. “For something so important to have 106 words… The government have been sneaky, or clever if you prefer, in that they have drafted a bill that’s so narrow that it’s hard to bring in amendments to it.”

She added: “The normal process for a bill, especially an important one like this, is that you have a white paper before any draft bill, which is normally a substantial document. Then that’s debated and then you have a draft bill. This is all completely the wrong way around.”

Prime Minister Theresa May has said there will be a white paper giving further detail of the negotiation plans she outlined in a speech last week, but she has given no promises that it will be available before MPs debate and vote on the bill.

The government argues the bill must be fast-tracked so as not to endanger the end-of-March deadline for triggering article 50. Ms Miller said this date is not a legal obligation, but is ‘self-imposed’.

“They’ve created a myth that it’s required by law or by the EU, but it is not. I think we should have a proper debate about something so momentous rather than trying to push something through. They are rushing to the door without knowing what’s on the other side.

“Also the time-tabling is wrong – it is too short and the MPs should be up in arms about that.

“The very thing I was fighting for was that the government must be accountable and proper parliamentary processes must be followed.
“Now having spent all this time and effort and taken on so much abuse, to get us to a situation where the sovereignty of parliament is back where it should be – it’s so frustrating that MPs are behaving like cowards and still not standing up and doing the job they should be doing: that is asking the questions to ensure the outcome is the best plan for the country, not just the best one for the Conservative Party.”

“The MPs are allowing the government to get away with it. I think they have to stand up for themselves and vote with their conscience and their constituents in mind, to do what’s best for their constituents.

“We should also remember that while the MPs at present seem overtaken by fear, the House of Lords isn’t and it may well look at this and say ‘it’s not good enough’.”

Ms Miller said she had hoped to return to a quieter life after the court's ruling – but it will not be yet. “I’m still asked for my views and I will carry on being very vocal, because for better or worse I find myself in a situation where I have a voice, and I will use it, because others who should be doing it are not.”

She said she will also watch with interest the case being brought in the Irish High Court, which will seek to find out if the article 50 trigger is reversible or not. In her case both sides agreed in principle that it was irreversible, but there has been no definitive ruling on this.

Ms Miller added: “As time has gone on, what has buoyed me up has been all the wonderful letters of support – which, since Mrs May started steered towards a ‘hard Brexit’, has included ‘leave’ voters who said I was right, so that is encouraging.”