MPs vote through Brexit Bill

The vote does not definitively mean that the UK is leaving – because the bill comes back to the Commons next week for a 'committee stage' where there will be new attempts to introduce amendments and then it will be debated by the Lords, where it may meet resistance.

A final vote is expected to be held in March with the government still intending to hit its target of triggering article 50 before the end of that month.

Later today the government will publish a ‘white paper’ setting out formally its negotiation objectives for the Brexit talks – it is expected that it will largely follow what Prime Minister Theresa May said in her speech last week ( see previous story). Mrs May has had criticism from some quarters for not introducing it before the Brexit Bill had its first Commons debate and vote, and for not promising to set out more detail than was given in the speech.

This comes as a group of expat campaign organisations across Europe, including ecreu.com, Brits in Europe, RIFT and the British Community Committee of France, has put forward their own ‘alternative white paper’, focussing on holding the government to objectives on maintaining expat rights.

The document which the group has sent to MPs and peers, calls on the government to commit to protecting rights of existing EU expats in the UK and prioritising discussion on obtaining the same for Britons in the EU (read it here).

It spells out that ‘EU rights’ are not just limited to residence, but affect a raft of matters which are essential to people’s ability to continue their daily lives in the countries where they live.

It says approval of the Brexit Bill should be conditional on agreements on such matters, including pledges on those areas in the UK government’s unilateral control, such as pension uprating or continuing to pay for healthcare of British pensioners in the EU.

White papers are typically produced before important legislation, presenting the government’s ideas on a subject, for discussion before a formal bill is introduced.

If article 50 is triggered as planned by the end of March, the UK could be expected to leave the EU in 2019. However much remains to be done – very complex negotiations which will need agreement from many different parties, including another MPs’ vote on the final proposed ‘deal’ (the Liberal Democrats say another referendum should be held).

Court cases are also under way, such as one seeking to find out if Britain’s exit can be reversed if the deal is not desirable.

A fifth of Labour MPs (47) voted against the bill yesterday in defiance of the party’s three-line whip, joining 50 SNP MPs, seven Liberal Democrats, Caroline Lucas of the Green Party, two from Plaid Cymru, three independents and three Irish nationalists.

Only one Conservative, Ken Clarke, voted against it, though there were abstentions, including Sir Roger Gale, who was not permitted to vote for technical reasons. The MP for North Thanet, who backed ‘Remain’ and has expressed sadness at the referendum vote (but represents an area which strongly voted to leave) said in a statement: “The will of the people of the UK has been expressed in a referendum and it is now the responsibility of parliament to implement that decision on the best terms possible for our country.”

The BBC has a page where you can check how your MP voted, here.