Emma Reynolds, who is leading delegation of 17 senior backbenchers, says high court ruling means MPs have greater role to play

A delegation of senior Labour backbenchers were travelling to Brussels on Wednesday to argue that the party should begin to “shape the debate” on Brexit in the wake of the article 50 court case.

The group of 17 Labour MPs are led by Emma Reynolds, formerly the shadow Europe minister, who was to use a lecture to outline the party’s response to what she said was a disastrous government approach to exiting the EU.

Reynolds said last week’s high court ruling that parliament must approve the enactment of article 50 meant MPs suddenly had a far greater role to play in the Brexit process, and it was important for Labour to outline its position.

“Assuming the supreme court doesn’t overrule this, the voice of parliament suddenly becomes more relevant and more important,” said Reynolds, the Wolverhampton North East MP, who is a member of the Brexit select committee. “The government is going to have to tell us more about what they’re going to do.”

Reynolds rejected the idea that backbench Labour MPs seeking to outline the party’s response implied any criticism of the leadership, saying there “isn’t a cigarette paper” between her views on the subject and those of the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer.

“He’s right, this ruling is not about blocking article 50, it’s about the government being more accountable to parliament, and making sure we have more information about what the broad objectives are,” she said.



Among the other MPs heading to Brussels were Angela Eagle, Maria Eagle, Paula Sherriff, Mary Creagh, Stephen Kinnock, Chris Leslie and Lilian Greenwood.

Reynolds was to deliver the annual lecture in Brussels in memory of John Fitzmaurice, a senior British official at the European parliament who died in 2003.

In extracts released in advance, the Labour MP condemns as “meaningless” Theresa May’s mantra of “Brexit means Brexit”, saying she fears the government is intent on a hard departure from the EU, which would damage the economy.

Reynolds is similarly critical of the government’s response to the vehement media reaction after the high court ruling on article 50, saying: “It was appalling to see several Tory ministers join Nigel Farage in wilfully misrepresenting the court’s ruling.”

Reynolds argues that Labour must push for a coherent strategy to keep industries in the UK and for the government to seek an interim trade deal to avoid falling on to default World Trade Organisation terms.

Reynolds was to say: “I don’t believe the Eurosceptic rhetoric that ‘they need us more than we need them’. It’s is based on the assumption that other European leaders will always put economics above politics – ironic given that Eurosceptics have always put politics above economics.

“We need to bear in mind that each member state has its own domestic politics. There are general elections in four member states next year, including in France and Germany.”



Rather than negotiating on the basis of “vetoes, blackmail and high-handedness”, the UK should instead approach Brexit by emphasising the positives the UK can still bring to Europe, such as expertise in counter-terrorism, foreign and defence policy, and through the strengths of universities, she argues.

Reynolds says: “The progressive centre-left in the UK and across Europe must be the voice of reason, of unity, and of goodwill. It is incumbent on all of us to forge a new partnership.”