House of Lords to debate "meaningful vote" for Brexit deal on Tuesday

Downing Street has ruled out Parliament having a final vote on the Brexit deal as it could affect negotiations with the European Union, a spokesperson said on Monday.

According to reports, Number 10 is opposed to including an amendment on the Article 50 bill that is currently being debated in the House of Lords, that includes a vote for MPs and peers on the final deal reached with Brussels as its could alter the outcome of negotiations and incentivise the EU to give Britain a bad deal.

A spokesperson said that the Prime Minister Theresa May would provide a vote that would effectively only rubber stamp the bill in Parliament.

This comes as the Lords is set to debate and vote on Tuesday on whether Parliament should have a “meaningful vote” on the final deal, Parliament is expected to back this vote with cross-party support, in another blow to the government.

Last week, the Lords voted to secure the rights of EU citizens resident in Britain within three months of Article 50, the clause that starts a two-year clock on formal negotiations with the EU, is triggered.

The government said they hope to overturn this amendment when the bill is passed back to the House of Commons in less than two weeks and that it has not derailed Prime Minister Theresa May’s timetable to activate it at the end of this month.

However, the bill could ‘ping-pong’ between the two houses, delaying its passage into law by about a week until 14 March.