What MPs will be voting on: The Brexit bill amendments

  • Published

Here's a round-up of the amendments to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill that MPs voted on.

The government opposed the following Lords amendments:

  • Granting new powers to oversee changes made to EU law by the government

  • Removing the precise day of Brexit from the wording of the bill

  • Removing a section allowing ministers to use secondary legislation to establish when individuals can challenge the validity of retained EU law after exit

  • Only let ministers use delegated powers to amend retained EU law where "necessary"

  • Preventing ministers from using delegated powers to implement the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement

  • Make staying in the European Economic Area, like Norway, a "negotiating objective" for the UK

  • Transferring the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights into UK law

  • Allowing "enhanced scrutiny" when ministers use delegated powers to change EU employment, equality health and safety, consumer and environment rules

The government has proposed its own version of these ones:

  • Giving Parliament the power to decide what happens if MPs and peers reject the final Brexit deal

  • Explicitly preserving cooperation between Northern Ireland and the Republic and commit to no new border arrangements without the agreement of the UK and Irish governments

  • Allowing people to challenge UK law if it fails to comply with the general principles of EU law

  • Forcing ministers to maintain EU environmental principles in domestic law after Brexit

  • Compelling ministers to aim for a deal allowing unaccompanied child refugees to join relatives in the UK

The government has accepted this amendment:

  • Allowing the UK to replicate EU law made after Brexit day and continue to participate in EU agencies

The government is backing a compromise backbench amendment on this:

  • Forcing the government to report on "steps taken to negotiate a customs union with the EU" by 31 October