Franklin, Andrews, Kramer & Edelstein

[scion]

Theresa May suffers first major Commons defeat after Tory rebels defeat Government by four votes

Jack Maidment, political correspondent Laura Hughes, political correspondent 13 DECEMBER 2017 • 7:56PM
https://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/13/europe/british-prime-minister-brexit-vote/index.html?adkey=bn

Theresa May has suffered her first major Commons defeat after 12 Tory rebels defeated Government and voted for an amendment to the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill.

MPs have voted in favour of Parliament being given a meaningful vote on the terms of Brexit by 309 votes to 305.

In a damaging blow to her already diminished authority, Tory rebels rallied around Former attorney general Dominic Grieve to back his attempt to ensure MPs have a "meaningful vote" on the withdrawal deal.

A dramatic last-minute concession by justice minister Dominic Raab was dismissed as "too late" by Mr Grieve, whose amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill squeezed through the Commons on a majority of four amid tense scenes in the chamber.

Nicky Morgan, the Tory Remainer and former Cabinet Minister, tweeted: "Tonight Parliament took control of the EU Withdrawal process", while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described the defeat as "a humiliating loss of authority" for Mrs May.

The Prime Minister suggested this afternoon that the Government would not accept the Tory rebel bid to guarantee MPs a “meaningful vote” on the final Brexit deal because doing so could threaten the UK’s “orderly and smooth exit” from the European Union.

Mr Grieve told the Commons he intended to put the "country before his party" amid concerns over the potential for flagship Brexit legislation to become a "very worrying tool of executive power".

Nicky Morgan, the former Education Secretary and Tory rebel, tweeted: "Tonight Parliament took control of the EU Withdrawal process."

While some would-be rebels such as George Freeman and Vicky Ford said Mr Raab's promise of fresh limits on powers in the Bill was enough for them to back down, it was not enough for the Government to avoid defeat.

Mrs May has insisted the Government had already offered MPs a vote on the deal and that such a vote would take place before the point of Brexit in March 2019.

Steven Swinford
@Steven_Swinford
MPs vote 309 to 305 for Dominic Grieve's amendment, pandemonium in the Commons
7:16 PM - Dec 13, 2017
2 2 Replies 12 12 Retweets 21 21 likes

But MPs want the vote to be written into law so that the Government is unable to implement the withdrawal agreement struck with Brussels until Parliament officially signs it off.

Mr Grieve, the Tory former attorney general, is lead the bid to amend the EU (Withdrawal) Bill to guarantee the vote.

In extraordinary scenes during a debate in the Commons, Remain backing Tory MPs told their Eurosceptic colleague Bernard Jenkin to "sit down" when he questioned Mr Grieve's amendment.

Esther Webber
@estwebber
Bernard Jenkin faces a tough crowd of his party colleagues
2:42 PM - Dec 13, 2017
24 24 Replies 136 136 Retweets 194 194 likes

Mr Jenkin faced cries of "read it" from his own side when he said clause nine "is not about implementing leaving the European Union".

Mrs May appeared to draw a line in the sand as she signalled during Prime Minister’s Questions that she dis not intend to change tack.

She said she believed changing the Bill could ultimately disrupt Brexit.

“The fact that there will be that meaningful vote has been set out and confirmed by the Brexit Secretary in a written ministerial statement today,” she said.

“We were very clear that we won’t commence any statutory instruments until that meaningful vote has taken place.

“But as currently drafted what the amendment says is that we shouldn’t put any of those arrangements, any of those statutory instruments, into place until the Withdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill has reached the statue book.

“That could be at a very late stage in the proceedings which could mean that we are not able to have the orderly and smooth exit from the European Union that we wish to have."

https://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/13/europe/british-prime-minister-brexit-vote/index.html?adkey=bn