Government accepts Labour motion to publish plan for leaving EU but calls on MPs to vote for process to begin by late March

Theresa May has caved in to pressure to publish a plan for Brexit by the end of March, but laid down a challenge to MPs to vote in favour of triggering article 50.



Labour and rebel Tory MPs declared victory after No 10 accepted an opposition motion calling on the prime minister to reveal the government’s Brexit aims before starting the formal process of leaving the EU.

The government’s move was designed to stave off an embarrassing parliamentary revolt for May, as about 20 Tory MPs had been prepared to defy her by voting with Labour.

However, No 10 insisted it had always intended to publish a Brexit plan and mounted an attempt to turn the debate to its own advantage by tabling an amendment to Labour’s motion, calling for article 50 to be triggered before the end of March.

This will ask MPs to “respect the wishes of the United Kingdom” by agreeing to the government’s timetable for Brexit, with the aim of flushing out any who do not want to vote in favour of starting the process of leaving the EU.

No 10 will also be hoping that a majority of MPs in favour of triggering article 50 will allow it to claim more of a parliamentary mandate for Brexit, although it is only a non-binding motion.

It will not be enough to satisfy legal demands if the government loses its appeal in the supreme court and is forced to publish an act of parliament before starting the formal Brexit process.

That requires full legislation to pass through both the Commons and Lords, and could allow parliamentarians to pass amendments about the type of Brexit the government will seek.

Labour and most of the Tory MPs pushing for the UK to stay in the single market in a “soft Brexit” will accept the government amendment, as they do not dispute the idea of triggering article 50.

However, they still intend to cause a headache for May during the debate by pushing for a comprehensive white paper – an official pre-legislative paper – detailing her plan for Brexit before the end of January.

Neil Carmichael, a Tory MP who had been thinking about rebelling, said he would now vote with the government amendment. “It is a victory for us because the government is now committed to producing a plan,” he said. “The question is what it looks like.”

He said that “soft Brexit is gaining ground”, not only among Tory MPs but in government following a recent softening of language by the secretary of state for exiting the European Union, David Davis. Carmichael admitted that one or two of his colleagues were worried about the amendment meaning MPs would be agreeing to article 50 being triggered by March.

However, he said: “I’ve never seen article 50 as the key point. I think the key point will be between the implementation of article 50 and towards the end of our negotiation period.”

Anna Soubry, the former Tory business minister and another potential rebel, also described it as “very good news ... and a great opportunity for the government to make sure that parliament scrutinises its plan”.

Labour said May’s move was a “welcome and hugely significant climbdown from the government”.

Only a handful of Tory and Labour MPs are likely to oppose the amendment if it gets pushed to a vote, such as Ken Clarke and David Lammy, but the SNP and the Liberal Democrats have stated they would definitely do so. The Lib Dems will also put forward their own call for a second referendum on the final EU deal, while challenging Labour to oppose the government on triggering article 50.

The timetable for Brexit has been taking shape since May declared at the Conservative party conference that she would formally notify the EU by the end of March, firing the starting gun on two years of negotiations with a view to leaving by early 2019.

The SNP’s Europe spokesman, Stephen Gethins, accused the government of being “shamefully silent” on its preparations for Brexit, and warned that the “vacuum has resulted in absolute chaos at the heart of Downing Street”. His party will welcome the debate but block May’s amendment because it fails to respect the votes in favour of remaining in the EU in both Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Nicky Morgan, the Conservative former education secretary who has been campaigning to stay in the single market, is also likely to back the government.

Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, said the government must commit to publishing the plan for leaving the EU by January.

“For the last two months Labour have been pushing the government to put their plan for Brexit before parliament and the public. Without that plan, we have had unnecessary uncertainty, speculation and a running commentary on the government’s likely approach,” he said.



“The government have now agreed to publish that plan, and to do so before article 50 is invoked. Labour will hold the government to account on this. We will also push for a plan to be published no later than January 2017 so that the House of Commons, the devolved administrations, the Brexit select committee and the British people have a chance to scrutinise it.”

The text of the Labour motion “calls on the prime minister to commit to publishing the government’s plan for leaving the EU before article 50 is invoked”.

Downing Street sources said May had always intended to set out the overarching aims of her Brexit strategy before article 50 was triggered and denied that the government’s position had shifted significantly.

So far, the prime minister has refused to set out much about her Brexit strategy, other than saying greater control on immigration from the EU would be a priority and that the UK wants the best trading relationship it can achieve for businesses.