Article 50 bill to be published 'within days', says David Davis

A bill to trigger Article 50 will be published “within days”, Brexit secretary David Davis said on Tuesday, following the Supreme Court’s ruling that Parliamentary consent is needed before activating the clause.

Davis told the House of Commons that the bill would be “straightforward”, and not about leaving the EU, as that decision had already been taken, and the government would respect the Supreme Court’s ruling, which upheld the High Court’s decision saying MPs needed to vote on activating the clause, but he stressed that the judgment does not change the fact that Britain is leaving the European Union.

The government is to work with MPs and peers in the House of Lords so that the bill could be passed in order for Article 50 could be triggered by the end of March, in accordance with Prime Minister Theresa May’s timetable.

After the Supreme Court also ruled that the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland do not legally have to be consulted before activating the clause, Davis said that while the ruling “provides welcome clarity” that it in “no way diminishes our commitment to work closely with the people and administration of Wales Scotland and Northern Ireland, as we move forward with our withdrawal from the European Union”.

In December, May conceded to calls for greater clarity over Brexit and MPs backed a Labour motion to scrutinise the government’s Brexit plan before she triggers Article 50.

He faced numerous calls from Labour and Conservative MPs to publish a white paper, as they said that they backed last December’s vote on Article 50 so the government would publish a plan.

Labour’s Hilary Benn, chair of the Brexit committee, Luciana Berger, Diana Johnson, Anna Soubry, a Europhile Conservative, and former Tory education secretary Nicky Morgan, all called on the government to publish a white paper.

However, Davis dismissed the suggestion, as he said that May’s major speech on Brexit last Tuesday, when she said Britain will no longer be a member of the European single market and customs union in order to curb immigration, was the “clearest statement of policy” he had seen from a prime minister.

The Brexit secretary said there would be “many votes” for Parliament on Brexit on a range of issues over the next few years, and maintained that Parliament will have a “great influence” on the process and will have the final say.

May previously said that both houses of parliament would get a final vote on the deal reached with Brussels.

Davis also ruled out a second referendum on the final agreement, as it would lead the EU offering the “worst possible” deal. A second referendum on the terms of Brexit is being lobbied by the Liberal Democrats.