Emily Thornberry demands answers ahead of a debate in parliament today

Labour has written to Brexit Secretary David Davis demanding answers to 170 questions about the government’s Brexit strategy.

It comes as Labour has forced a debate in parliament today on MPs having more of a say on the Brexit negotiations.

Today’s letter from Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry asks one question for each of the 170 days before Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty is set to be invoked by March 31 next year.

The questions were drawn up with Shadow Brexit Secretary and former Director of Public Prosectutions Keir Starmer, and cover trade, migration, workers’ rights, environmental rules, the Irish border, EU grants, and the rights of EU citizens living in Britain.

Thornberry said the government must consult on a clear Brexit plan with the devolved governments, the London Mayor, and the official opposition, and that parliament should have a vote on whether the plan is good for post-Brexit Britain.

She wrote:

‘None of the above is intended to stop the Brexit process from taking place, or to disregard the

instructions we have been given by the British people. On the contrary, it is simply to ensure that we get the best possible deal for Britain, and one which reflects all the views of the communities that we as members of parliament represent.’

She added: ‘It is also to ensure that, contrary to all public statements we have heard to date, the government actually has a clear plan of what it is intending to achieve, and that all members of the Cabinet with responsibility in this area subscribe to that same plan.’

Thornberry said failure to answer these questions

‘will reinforce the sense that the government is instead blundering into this process without a clear endgame in mind, repeating exactly the same mistake that the previous Prime Minister made with his ‘renegotiation’ of Britain’s EU membership last year: working to an artificial, self-imposed timetable; with a flawed Plan A of what he wanted to achieve; and no Plan B whatsoever.’

You can read the full letter and all 170 questions here.

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