The government has published its bill to trigger article 50, prompting Labour to table a series of proposed amendments, including one seeking to guarantee that parliament gets a final say on any final deal for Brexit.



The bill, containing just two clauses and only 137 words long, will be granted five days of time in the Commons, the government announced, prompting concern from some Labour MPs that it could not receive proper scrutiny in such a period.

Devised after the government this week lost its supreme court case on whether it could trigger article 50 without the approval of parliament, the European Union (notification of withdrawal) bill states as its aim to “confer power on the prime minister to notify, under article 50(2) of the treaty on European Union, the United Kingdom’s intention to withdraw from the EU”.

Granting this power to the prime minister would have effect “despite any provision made by or under the European Communities Act 1972 or any other enactment”, the bill says.

In a statement with the bill, David Davis, the Brexit secretary, said he trusted that parliament “will respect the decision taken by the British people and pass the legislation quickly”.

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, confirmed he would seek to oblige his MPs to back the bill, a decision that seems set to cause considerable opposition within the party.

Labour later tabled seven planned amendments to the bill, one of which would guarantee a “meaningful vote in parliament” on any final deal. Another amendment would be to guarantee the protection of workers’ rights and securing “full tariff- and impediment-free access” to the EU’s single market.

The other five amendments are: to ensure the Brexit secretary, David Davis, reports on progress to the Commons at least every two months; guaranteeing the rights of foreign EU nationals living in the UK; obliging regular consultation with the devolved governments; require regular impact assessments on the effects of leaving the single market; and to oblige the government to keep all existing EU tax avoidance and evasion measures.

The final amendment is targeted at the government’s threat that if the UK does not get a sufficiently good deal from the EU it will walk away and shift the economy towards low regulation and tax.

The party will also support two more amendments, drafted by the MP Melanie Onn, connected to protecting workers’ rights.

The amendments would “significantly improve the government’s bill”, said the shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer, by ensuring proper scrutiny and a final say for MPs.

“Labour’s amendments will also seek to ensure the prime minister delivers on her key objectives, including tariff- and impediment-free access to the single market, and there is no drop in workers’ rights,” Starmer said. “We will also vigorously oppose any plans to reduce powers to tackle tax avoidance or evasion.”

Shortly before the bill was published, David Lidington, the leader of the Commons, told MPs they would have five days to debate the issue.



The second reading debate would take place over two days, on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, he said. The key second reading vote will be on Wednesday. Parliament will sit until midnight on the Tuesday, Lidington said.



The following week, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will be set aside for the committee and report stages and for the third reading. The bill will then go to the Lords.

Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, whose MPs will vote against the bill, called it “short and not sweet”.

He said: “Take back control was a mantra of the leave campaign but this government’s extreme reluctance to involve parliament in this process has instead been an affront to parliamentary sovereignty and democracy.”

News of the rapid timetable prompted anger from some Labour MPs, with Ben Bradshaw calling the amount of days set aside “a disgrace”. David Lammy said the bill was the “most important decision taken for generations” and allowing five days “shows contempt for parliamentary sovereignty”.

The Tories' restriction of debate on detail of #Article50 to just 3 days is a disgrace. @UKLabour must oppose this contempt for Parliament — Ben Bradshaw (@BenPBradshaw) January 26, 2017

2 days to debate 2nd Reading of Brexit Bill shows contempt for Parliamentary sovereignty. Most important decision taken for generations — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) January 26, 2017

Lidington rejected the criticism. Asked by another Labour MP, Chris Leslie, why the time set aside was an eighth of the amount of time used to debate the bill introducing the 1992 Maastricht treaty, Lidington said this was “synthetic rage”.

“There is no comparison between previous bills that sought to ratify EU treaties which had a direct impact on many different aspects of UK law, and a two-clause bill of which a single clause is a substantive one, which is in entirely to give authority to the prime minister to trigger an article 50 process and begin a negotiation,” he said.

Lord Pannick QC, who represented Gina Miller, the lead claimant in the supreme court case, said the bill would serve the government’s purposes. He commented: “The bill does what is legally required. We shall see whether it also satisfies political requirements.”

Earlier on Thursday, Davis refused to guarantee that the parallel government white paper on the exit process, which was announced on Wednesday, would be published before the article 50 bill had been debated in the Commons.

“It will be as expeditious as we can be,” Davis said during departmental questions in the Commons when asked about the timing. “It takes time to do. But we won’t waste time in producing it for the house.”