Theresa May risks defeat as Tory rebels prepare to back 'meaningful vote' on final Brexit deal

Dominic Grieve

REUTERS/Carl Court/Pool

• Theresa May facing defeat in key amendment to EU (Withdrawal) Bill.

• Conservative rebels confident vote on giving MPs a meaningful vote on final Brexit deal will pass.

• Amendment would mean May must get parliamentary approval before signing a Brexit deal.

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LONDON — Rebel Conservative MPs are confident of attracting enough cross-party support to pass an amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill giving Parliament a meaningful vote on a final Brexit deal.

Several MPs, including a Tory who up until now has not supported parliamentary efforts to give MPs a meaningful vote, are ready to back the amendment tabled by Conservative MP Dominic Grieve, The Guardian reports.

The amendment, which will be debated on Wednesday afternoon, seeks to give Parliament the power to either approve or vote down any Brexit deal reached between British and EU negotiators before exit day in March 2019.

The UK government has already agreed to give MPs a final vote. However, this vote is not binding, and will not delay or halt the Brexit process if MPs vote the deal down. There is also no guarantee that it'll take place before exit day.

"The government has not come up with a legislative alternative to amending clause 9, but it must be amended,” Grieve said, speaking ahead of the vote.

"Because it is incompatible with the government’s own stated position as to how the final withdrawal agreement will be agreed by parliament."

Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer has whipped all Labour MPs to vote in favour of the amendment, meaning Theresa May faces a key defeat unless she agrees to amend the Bill prior to tonight's vote.

"It’ll be tight but we have the numbers at the moment," one Labour MP told the Guardian.

Parties unite to give MPs the power to block Brexit

Labour's Chuka Umunna, Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas and Liberal Democrat Tom Brake will gather with activists from anti-hard Brexit group Open Britain to urge colleagues to back Grieve's amendment.

"Nobody voted in the referendum for our parliamentary democracy to be undermined. We need scrutiny on Brexit, not a blank cheque for Government Ministers," Umunna said ahead of the vote.

"I would urge colleagues on all sides of the House to put the national interest first and support Amendment 7 to the Withdrawal Bill."

Lucas said: "Ministers have treated the sovereignty of our Parliament with contempt throughout the Brexit process. That has to change.

"Brexit is already making Britain worse off, with price rises hitting working families and putting our rights at risk. Parliament needs to have the right to reject a Brexit deal that will impoverish our country.”

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See Also:

• Theresa May ditches plan to enshrine an exact Brexit date in law

• Theresa May set to back down on plan to enshrine Brexit date in law

• Abuse, egg attacks, and a vandalised car — Nigel Farage says his life is 'miserable' after Brexit

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