Summary

  • Private members' bills in the Commons

  1. Ex-minister delivers resignation speechpublished at 15:51 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Philip LeeImage source, HoC

    Conservative Dr Phillip Lee says he is "devastated" to have resigned from the government.

    Fellow Conservative MPs Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston intervene to congratulate him on doing so.

    He says he cannot in good conscience support the bill as it stands, especially as it will be detrimental to his constituents.

    "We cannot and should not turn back the clock, but if Brexit is worth doing it is worth doing well," he says.

    Dr Lee is a qualified doctor and says that "in politics as in the medical profession trust and integrity are fundamental".

    He urges other colleagues to follow his lead and vote for Dominic Grieve's amendment so they can give "this great institution the powers that it needs to leave our children a legacy of which we can all be proud".

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  2. Bryant: 'real possibility of no deal'published at 15:46 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Labour's Chris Bryant says that the internal politics of the Conservative Party and the lack of consensus on government benches over what Brexit should be means there's a "real possibility that we will end up with no deal".

    "We have to have a resolution of this matter today, not in future days, today," he says.

    He says that this is a "brief moment" where the "phenomenal power" of the government is being challenged by Parliament and that the government should accept Dominic Grieve's amendment.

  3. 'Impossible' to get Parliament to agree in event of no dealpublished at 15:44 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Bill Cash

    It is "complete nonsense" to argue that amendment 19 would not allow MPs to overturn the referendum result, says Sir Bill Cash.

    He says it would be impossible to get Parliament to agree a motion for the negotiations in the event of no deal.

    The amendment is just an attempt to reverse Brexit - and to take back the people's right to decide, as given to them by Parliament, he says.

  4. Off to see the PM?published at 15:35 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    Politico correspondent tweets

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  5. Leslie: government should accept Grieve amendmentpublished at 15:34 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Chris LeslieImage source, HoC

    Labour backbencher Chris Leslie urges the government to accept the amendment put forward by Dominic Grieve, because then it could be sent back to the House of Lords where the government could present their alternatives.

    Mr Grieve intervenes to agree, saying he's "always accepted that there might be some tweaking to be done" to his proposal for what would happen if there was no Brexit deal. The amendment calls for the government to seek direction from Parliament within five days of 15 February 2019 if no deal is reached by then.

    He goes on to say that Dominic Grieve "clearly has a majority in this House" because the Conservative chief whip is "scuttling" around talking to Conservative backbenchers.

  6. Conservative whips attempting to broker deal with backbenchespublished at 15:33 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    Senior political correspondent, Sky, tweets

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  7. Threats to MPs who oppose Brexit outlined by MPpublished at 15:27 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    Huffington Post's executive editor, politics, tweets

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  8. Anna Soubry: This has got to stoppublished at 15:25 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    SoubryImage source, HoC

    Conservative MP Anna Soubry - who supported the Remain vote - says of the debate taking place: "This has got to stop - this is unseemly."

    She tells MPs "never before have we had a Cabinet so divided", arguing that ministers are trying to "undermine" Theresa May's efforts to achieve a soft Brexit.

    "All they [ministers] have to do is accept his [Dominic Grieve's] amendment," she says, adding that while she respects Robert Buckland's assurances "he is not the most senior member of the government".

  9. Not long until votes startpublished at 15:24 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    Parliamentary reporters tweet

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  10. Grieve amendment 'only chance' for MPs to assert sovereignty of Parliamentpublished at 15:23 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Hilary BennImage source, HoC

    Labour MP and Brexit committee chair Hilary Benn says he's hesitant to get involved in the negotiation the "government is trying to attempt with its own backbenchers" but he says Dominic Grieve's amendment 19 to the bill is the "single most important" in the whole bill.

    The amendment spells out the steps to be taken in the even of no deal being approved or reached.

    He says it is the "one chance that we have to exercise the sovereignty that all of us believe properly rests with this House". He says he hopes MPs recognise that it is the only chance they'll have to assert this.

  11. Grieve warns of 'immense crisis' without a plan for no dealpublished at 15:12 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    GrieveImage source, HoC

    Conservative former attorney general Dominic Grieve, who brought in the amendment on which the government was defeated when the bill was previously in the Commons, warns that "the irrationality of the debate we are having is properly chilling".

    He says as things stand there would be "an immense crisis" if MPs voted against the Brexit deal reached by the government, and today is about putting in place measures to address that, "not about obstructing Brexit".

    "We cannot allow a situation in which there is no mechanism for dealing with no deal," he emphasises.

    Solicitor General Robert Buckland rises to assure him the government is "willing to engage positively" with Mr Grieve's proposals.

    Mr Grieve says MPs will have to decide for themselves if they are reassured.

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  12. Lib Dem leader: There must be a referendum on the final dealpublished at 15:09 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Vince CableImage source, HoC

    Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable stands up in support of amendments on a "meaningful vote" and denies that any "meaningful vote" would stop Brexit, although he does say that stopping it is "one of the options that we need to consider".

    He says MPs need to go further than a meaningful vote in Parliament "if we continue in the present path" with the "narrow" definition of Brexit that the government is pursuing.

    He says that he will "not accept" a Brexit negotiated in such a "stumbling and incoherent" way. He says that there "has to be a decision by the public at the end of the process" and a referendum on the final deal.

  13. Many suspect amendments 'designed to frustrate Brexit'published at 15:00 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Sir Edward LeighImage source, HoC

    Conservative Leave supporter Sir Edward Leigh says he understands that the Lords should try to improve legislation, but "many of us suspect" that these amendments "are not designed to improve this legislation" but is "actually designed to frustrate the whole process".

    He says it is "perfectly in order" for the Lords to amend legislation but the Commons should be "worried" by these amendments.

    He adds that he does not accept Dominic Grieve's amendment as it seeks to do what the House of Lords wants "in less words".

    If the government is defeated today, he says, then the newspapers will tomorrow say that the "momentum" behind Brexit will stop.

    "The people want us to leave the EU, they want to regain control of their borders," he finishes.

  14. Have the Lords broken Parliament's conventions?published at 14:47 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    Former House of Lords clerk blogs

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  15. Each MP would only get 10 seconds each if everyone got a say - SNPpublished at 14:42 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Peter GrantImage source, HoC

    The SNP's European spokesperson Peter Grant says he is "one of the privileged few" in that he is allowed to speak in this debate, but many members will not be able to speak. If every member were to speak in the next two days, they would only get around 10 seconds each, he adds, decrying the programme motion.

    He accuses the government of not having "political courage" to bring this bill and other Brexit bills before the House and give them proper scrutiny.

    He says it is "disgraceful" the way the "battle-lines" have been drawn "in some so-called newspapers".

    He says he is not a fan of the unelected House of Lords, but "they are there for a purpose" and the abuse against them "was utterly uncalled for" and "has no place in any kind of civilised debate".

    "Nobody voted to damage the United Kingdom economy," he says, adding that the question of the single market was not on the ballot paper because it was seen as "politically expedient" not to do so by the government.

    He says the decision of being rejected by individual MPs' electorates due to unpopularity with decisions is something "we all have to face from time to time".

  16. Strange alliances created by Brexitpublished at 14:39 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    Political editor of the Daily Mail tweets

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  17. Labour Leave-supporting MPs could make all the differencepublished at 14:33 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    FieldImage source, HoC

    As with other Brexit debates, MPs' loyalties do not divide neatly along party lines.

    The Labour front bench has already come under pressure from backbenchers representing Leave-voting areas such as Frank Field, Graham Stringer and John Mann.

    Mr Field said: "If we pass what the Lords is asking for, we will be sending our negotiators back naked into the negotiating room. The EU will know the government is beaten and they can impose any terms they want."

    Mr Mann asks: "How will we explain to the people an unelected House of Lords had overturned their decision in referendum?"

    Many Labour MPs were persuaded in December to back the amendment on a meaningful vote and were crucial in defeating the government.

    Today, if votes are close, it's these Labour leavers who might end up helping to ensure victory for the government.

  18. Government rejects Grieve's meaningful vote amendmentpublished at 14:22 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    An amendment on the "meaningful vote" issue, tabled by former attorney general Dominic Grieve, has been rejected by the government.

    This means it will most likely not come to a vote in the Commons, but may act as a signal to the Lords on a possible way forward.

    Mr Grieve's amendment would have given the government until November to negotiate a deal with the EU. If no deal had been reached by mid-February, it would have mandated Parliament to take full control of the UK's Brexit strategy.

    During today's debate on Lords amendments, David Davis said:

    Quote Message

    What it actually amounts to is an unconstitutional shift which risks undermining our negotiations with the European Union."

  19. Labour MPs point out Tory chief whip's movementspublished at 14:16 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    Labour MPs tweet

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  20. Clarke: I hope I don't live to see another referendumpublished at 14:16 British Summer Time 12 June 2018

    EU Withdrawal Bill

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Kenneth ClarkeImage source, HoC

    Father of the House Ken Clarke says "the timetable motion we just passed" has allowed "just three hours for this whole debate" before the first set of votes and he is aware that "hundreds of members will find it almost impossible to get in" adding that he voted against the programme motion.

    He says that he "has never known an issue of this importance being taken in this way". He says there was "hours and hours of debate" on the Maastricht Treaty.

    Brexiteer Sir Bill Cash intervenes to say that the "meaningful vote" amendments are going to be used to prevent the UK leaving the EU.

    Mr Clarke replies to say that Sir Bill "is wrong".

    He adds that he hopes that he hopes he doesn't "live to see another referendum in my life".

    He says that the Commons have "scarcely looked at" everything that the process of leaving the EU will affect. He adds that the idea that a yes/no vote decided "each and every aspect" of leaving the EU is "intellectually lazy".