British lawmakers will on Tuesday debate the parliamentary bill that will give Prime Minister Theresa May the go ahead to withdraw from the European Union.
Members of Parliament have been given until midnight to discuss the proposed legislation that would allow May to invoke Article 50 of the EU Treaty and start two years of negotiations to leave the 27-nation trade block.
The UK government was forced to bring legislation to Parliament after the Supreme Court ruled it could not trigger Article 50 without the permission of lawmakers. They will take a vote on the EU (Notification on Withdrawal) Bill on Wednesday, according to PA.
Britain voted in a referendum last June by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent to leave the EU.
Opinion is split over the wisdom of Brexit in both parliamentary parties, with only the small Liberal Democrat party and the Scottish National Party united in their stance to stay in the EU.
Corbyn: Vote with government
Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn ordered Labour MPs not to attempt to delay the process by voting against the government on Article 50, although at least 22 of his MPs are expected to defy him and support “a wrecking amendment,” according to PA.
One of those is the Welsh MP Owen Smith who stood against Corbyn for the Labour leadership last year.
“We can at least stand up to be counted” he told CNN on Tuesday. However he said that it “is a slow ship and this (voting against the bill) is just the first push on the tiller.”
Anti-Brexit Tory MPs save fire power
The amendment calls for the bill to be scrapped because the Government has failed to give any assurances that Britain’s interests in the EU single market will be safeguarded, PA reported.
Many Conservative lawmakers are also against Brexit but are unlikely to support the amendment, saving their ammunition for when Brexit negotiations begin, Smith said.
“The anti-Brexit Tories are aware she (Theresa May) has thrown a lot of red meat to the right, and that now is not the time to lose capital, they are saving that for later.”
Prime Minister to introduce white paper
May — who has come under fire for failing to set out a vision for Brexit — told parliament last week that the government would produce a white paper that would be scrutinized by lawmakers. She resisted such a move earlier because she said it would show the UK’s negotiating hand. Not only will the UK need to negotiate the exit from Europe, but also new trade bills with all its trading partners.
The House of Lords, the UK’s upper house will also need to approve the Article 50 legislation.