Corbyn to order Labour MPs to vote against Brexit bill
Repeal bill aims to transpose EU law into UK law
- Theresa May's government may have to rely on support of other parties
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will order his MPs to vote against the government’s EU withdrawal bill, the party said on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for Labour said that unless there are several amendments made to the repeal bill, its MPs will be urged to reject it.
In that case, the Conservative government would be forced to rely on support from other parties in order to pass the legislation.
The bill aims to transpose all of the EU’s current laws into UK law in order to ensure a smooth Brexit transition, but Labour has criticised the legislation as undemocratic.
"Parliament has already voted to leave the European Union. But the government’s EU withdrawal bill would allow Conservative ministers to set vital terms on a whim, including of Britain’s exit payment, without democratic scrutiny," the spokesperson said.
"We cannot vote for a bill that unamended would let government ministers grab powers from parliament to slash people’s rights at work and reduce protection for consumers and the environment."
Labour’s Brexit policy has become somewhat muddled in recent weeks, with some shadow ministers suggesting that the UK should remain in the EU single market and customs union on a temporary basis post-Brexit, while others have said this could happen more permanently.
Parliament will begin debating the repeal bill on Thursday, with a vote following next Monday.
