FILE PHOTO: Union Flags and European Union flags fly near the Elizabeth Tower, housing the Big Ben bell, during the anti-Brexit 'People's March for Europe', in Parliament Square in central London, Britain September 9, 2017. REUTERS/Tolga Akmen

LONDON (Reuters) - British lawmakers on Tuesday voted in favor of legislation to sever political, financial and legal ties with the European Union at its second reading, allowing the bill to move to the next stage of the parliamentary process.

The opposition Labour Party, which said several clauses in the legislation amount to a “power grab” by government, opposed the bill but would have needed to convince EU supporters in the governing Conservatives to side with them to vote it down.

After more than eight hours of debate on Monday, lawmakers voted by 326 to 290 in favor of the EU withdrawal bill, which will now go on to face days of line-by-line scrutiny.