What MPs will be voting on: The Brexit bill amendments
Here’s a round-up of the amendments to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill that MPs are expected to consider and maybe vote on during Tuesday and Wednesday.
The government opposes 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