This week will see a series of important parliamentary votes on Brexit. What happens in the House of Commons could derail the Tories’ Brexit plans – and we should bring maximum pressure to bear on MPs.
The EU Withdrawal Bill (formerly known as the Great Repeal Bill) is supposedly the piece of legislation that attempts to make sense of our laws and rights after Brexit, taking EU law and putting it into British law. But for the Tories, it’s a lot more than that. They’ve used it as an excuse to take away powers from parliament and hand them to the executive; to take away major human rights protections; and to deprive parliament of a proper say on the final deal.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, MPs will vote on amendments inserted by the House of Lords. From a left wing anti-Brexit perspective, we think that the most important is Amendment 19, which ensures that parliament has the power to decide what happens if Theresa May’s Brexit deal is rejected. This would mean that parliament could reject the vote and then call a referendum on the terms of the deal – giving the people a chance to decide their own future.
There are also a range of progressive amendments such as:
- Amendment 3, which guarantees EU Environmental protections
- Amendment 5, which would retain the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, vital human rights protections
- Amendments 10, 43, 45, which limits the Henry VIII powers (i.e. May’s powergrab)
- Amendment 24 from Alf Dubs on child refugees
What you can do:
- Write to your MP immediately and make the case that they should vote for Amendment 19. The people and their elected representatives must have the right to determine what happens next.
- Share this blogpost on social media.
- Spread the word about our upcoming Left Against Brexit tour
11th June 2018