Monday

2nd Oct 2023

Lords disrupt May's Brexit strategy

  • "Some in the Lords would seek to frustrate that process," Brexit minister Davis said. (Photo: ukhouseoflords)

The House of Lords adopted an amendment on Tuesday (7 March) that requires a British parliament vote at the end of the future Brexit negotiation between Britain and the EU, in a move that casts new doubt on the upcoming process.

The amendment passed by 366 votes to 268 as an additional clause in the bill authorising the government to trigger Article 50 of the EU treaty and start exit negotiations.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

It says that the British parliament must approve any exit deal before it is debated by the European Parliament.

It also says that British MPs would have to approve a British decision to abandon the EU talks without a deal.

The vote marked the Lords latest intervention in the Brexit process.

Last week, the British peers also voted to demand a guarantee for the rights of EU citizens living in the UK.

The upper house amendments could still be rejected by the House of Commons in the final version of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill .

But if they go through, they would mark a setback for British prime minister Theresa May.

They would also tie her hands in the talks by making her bluff on quitting the EU without a deal less credible.

Last month, May said MPs would be “consulted” after the Brexit negotiations but would not have a final say.

She had also promised to trigger Article 50 by the end of March, but the parliamentary process could delay the move.

The ruling Conservative Party’s Brexit minister David Davis said after the vote on Tuesday: “We will now aim to overturn these amendments in the House of Commons”.

“It is clear that some in the Lords would seek to frustrate that process, and it is the government’s intention to ensure that does not happen. We will now aim to overturn these amendments in the House of Commons," he added.

But several Tory MPs support the Lords amendment.

"It is critical parliament has an option to decide on the way forward if there is no deal," Tory MP Neil Carmichael told the Guardian newspaper.

Another MP, Anna Soubry, said there was a "real risk that in the event of no deal we will have a hard Brexit, which my constituents did not vote for".

EU leaders originally expected May to formally notify them on Article 50 at this week's summit in Brussels.

Some have said it could be done in mid-March, but a more likely moment would be at the very end of the month, after the EU’s Rome summit on 25 March.

The Brexit process should be concluded by October 2018, according to the EU’s chief negotiator, French politician Michel Barnier.

That timeframe would make it difficult to solve the growing number of issues raised by Brexit.

These include the UK’s estimated €60-billion bill, the status of Northern Ireland and Scotland, as well as the future of EU-UK trade and financial relations and the daily life of Britons living or traveling in the EU.

Prepare for 'unlikely scenario'

The possibility that no clear deal is reached in time has been raised in both London and in Brussels.

Last month, Davis told his colleagues in the cabinet to prepare "not just for a negotiated settlement but the unlikely scenario where no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached".

He said Britain was facing "its most important peacetime operation" and highlights "the scale and the complexity of the work ahead".

In a speech to the Belgian parliament last month, European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said it would take two years to reach an agreement "on the exit arrangements" and that it "will need years to agree on the future architecture of the relations between the UK and EU".

Some even think that Brexit might not ever happen, if Britons see how difficult it is to leave the bloc and what the real consequences are.

"I would not be surprised if they have another referendum at the end and vote to stay," a senior EU politician recently told EUobserver.

"When you listen to British ministers they seem to want that," he said.

Norway-EU relations highlight UK's Brexit dilemma

When UK premier Theresa May meets Norway's Erna Solberg in London on Wednesday, they my find that they have a lot in common, including managing difficult in-and-out relations to the European Union.

Brexit Briefing

Brexit and the moral high ground

British government must act now to protect rights of EU citizens in UK no matter what amendments pushed through by Lords.

UK parliament clears way for Brexit talks

UK MPs refuse to guarantee the rights of EU citizens in the UK and do not expect a "meaningful vote" at the end of the Brexit talks, as May gets ready to trigger Article 50.

Brexit Briefing

What’s the price of failing to prepare?

Theresa May is the strongest and most vulnerable prime minister in living memory. That may seem like a contradiction in terms for a leader who, if not obviously likable, is seen as highly competent.

Opinion

Punish Belarus too for aiding Putin's Ukraine war

While Belarus has not sent its own troops to fight Russia's war in Ukraine, the Minsk dictatorship has been heavily involved. As a result, Belarus must be punished for its involvement — what can the world do to sanction Belarus?

Latest News

  1. EU ministers go to Kyiv to downplay fears on US, Slovak aid
  2. Hoekstra faces tough questioning to be EU Green chief
  3. Frontex shared personal data of NGO staff with Europol six times
  4. Why EU Commission dumped Google's favourite consultant
  5. Slovak's 'illiberal' Fico victory boosts Orbán, but faces checks
  6. European Political Community and key media vote This WEEK
  7. Is the ECB sabotaging Europe's Green Deal?
  8. The realists vs idealists Brussels battle on Ukraine's EU accession

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  2. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators, industry & healthcare experts at the 24th IMDRF session, September 25-26, Berlin. Register by 20 Sept to join in person or online.
  3. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  4. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  5. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators & industry experts at the 24th IMDRF session- Berlin September 25-26. Register early for discounted hotel rates
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations
  2. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  3. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  4. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us