House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Crossbencher the Earl of Lytton is introducing his motion to regret two sets of regulations.

The government says they serve the policy aim of delivering a more efficient business rates appeals system, based on reforms which introduce a three-stage system: Check, Challenge, Appeal.

The regulations amend the procedure to:

• be followed after a proposal (or "Challenge") is made
• provide for grounds for making an appeal to the Valuation Tribunal for England
• introduce fees for making an appeal.

The Earl of Lytton says "the new fees are inappropriate and fetter access to justice".

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Co-leader of the Green Party Caroline Lucas worries about the environmental implications noting that there are 1,100 EU environment laws that will be transposed into UK law.

She argues that "laws are only as effective as the mechanism to enforce them".

Without the European Court of Justice environmental laws will be unenforceable, she says, and adds that this will leave the UK with "zombie legislation".

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Conservative David TC Davies tells MPs: "The only powers being grabbed are being grabbed back from Brussels and given to London."

He urges Remainers to follow the example of those on the losing side of the Welsh devolution referendum, and "recognise that it is the will of the people".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Chris Bryant argues the EU Withdrawal Bill is "utterly pernicious", "fundamentally un-British" and "biggest peacetime power grab" in a century.

He claims there are bits of the Brexit bill that Erdogan, Putin and Maduro would be proud of.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour's Dame Margaret Beckett tells the House that the bill "negates the declared purpose of the referendum" - taking back control, adding that "the detail of this bill is so sweeping and so damaging".

"It must not be beyond the wit of man to find a better system of scrutiny," she argues.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour's Pat McFadden notes the arguments of some MPs that the best time to argue about the issue of executive power is at committee stage not now at second reading.

But he argues that the government is not more likely to listen at a later stage.

"Parliament's maximum moment of leverage is not during committee but now," he says.

Laura Kuenssberg
BBC political editor

Image source, Getty Images

What is all the fuss about?

Listen to ministers and all they are trying to do is tidy up the paperwork, cross the t's and dot the i's. Listen to Labour and Theresa May is trying her luck as a despot, grabbing power in great chunks, never again to give our elected representatives the chance to argue or even consider what's being done on our behalf.

Guess what? As ever in politics the truth is somewhere in between, whatever the two sides say. We are leaving the EU in less then two years (pretty much inevitably unless something really surprising happens).

But much of our law is based on EU law and EU institutions. So when we leave, in theory we lose lots of law overnight, and much of it simply won't make sense any more in thousands and thousands of areas.

Read more here.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

"I will vote for this bill," says Conservative Bob Neill "but I don’t do so with relish."

He argues that delaying the bill "would do no favours to citizens"; but he says the bill needs improvement.

Specifically he raises a concern about "a gap" left by the fact that the UK will leave the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

"It cannot be rational to give UK citizens a right under UK law but no ability to exercise that right."

Conservative Sir Edward Leigh responds to concerns over Henry VIII powers in the EU Withdrawal Bill - which give ministers the power to legislate without a debate in Parliament.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

SNP's Europe Spokesperson Stephen Gethins tells MPs that during the referendum campaign leave politicians said powers on fishing, energy and agriculture would come back to Scotland "without touching the sides".

Instead, he argues, these power are being retained by this Parliament.

He confirms that the SNP will be voting against the bill - "a new approach is needed", he says.

There's a further debate in Parliament today on the government's Brexit Bill, with ministers saying it is essential to ease the process of leaving the European Union.

Labour MPs have been told by their leadership to vote against it.

Don Valley MP and former Europe Minister Caroline Flint says her party is wrong to oppose the second reading.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Labour's Caroline Flint's assertion that the bill is "not hugely controversial" elicits heckles from her own colleagues.

She argues that Labour should improve the bill by amending it, "not kill the bill at the first stage".

"If you honestly accept the decision of the referendum you are honour-bound to see it through," she says.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Conservative Edward Leigh is in a benevolent mood.

He quotes Winston Churchill - "in victory magnitude" - and urges the government to be "as generous as possible".

He says the government should allow plenty of time for debate, accept some of the opposition amendments and be generous to the EU in terms of a financial settlement.

Concerning the Henry VIII clauses he is frank: "When I was rebel I used to care about these things, now I'm a loyalist I let the government get away with it."

"Henry VIII is bastard but he's my kind of bastard."

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour MP and leave campaigner Frank Field tells MPs that he will vote "to implement the result of the referendum".

But he warns the government that it is storing up "no end of trouble" by failing to include in the bill a mechanism by which Parliament can decide which EU laws it wants to keep.

Currently, he says, Parliament is not equipped to deal with "shedloads upon sheadloads upon shedloads upon of laws."

House of Commons
Parliament

How many votes could there be at midnight?

We could have five: on the Labour amendment, on MPs agreeing to give the bill itself a second reading (that sends it on to the next stage), and the programme motion (which timetables how long the bill gets debated at the next stages); and then on money, and ways and means.

But it could be just three, as the Press Association's parliamentary editor suggests...we'll have to wait and see.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Conservative Bernard Jenkin suggests that the opposition is "practising professional outrage".

He admits to doing much the same when he was in opposition.

However, he says Labour's concerns are about improving the procedures of Parliament and should not be about making fundamental changes to this bill.

Conservative Ken Clarke suggests the government could resolve this debate if it added an amendment so that "it only gave itself the powers that it required".