Brexit bill faces delay in House of Lords

The first crunch vote could come on Wednesday on whether to guarantee the rights of more than three million Europeans currently living in Britain.
British Prime Minister Theresa May. (Photo | AFP)
British Prime Minister Theresa May. (Photo | AFP)

LONDON: Britain's House of Lords was on a potential Brexit collision course with Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday as peers weighed changes that could delay a landmark bill to trigger the country's EU exit.

Members of the unelected upper chamber are demanding guarantees on the rights of EU citizens living in Britain and on parliament's role in approving the final Brexit deal.

They are seeking to amend a bill empowering May to implement last June's referendum vote to leave the European Union, a process she wants to begin by the end of March.

May has urged the Lords to exercise their scrutiny responsibilities without blocking the bill, while one government supporter threatened the House with abolition if it caused trouble.

But a Lords source in the opposition Labour party told AFP that the Conservative government would "lose handsomely" on the two key issues of EU citizens' rights and parliament's role.

If they succeed in amending the legislation, it will have to go back to the elected House of Commons for approval -- thus causing a delay.

The first crunch vote could come on Wednesday on whether to guarantee the rights of more than three million Europeans currently living in Britain.

Another is expected next week on enshrining into law the government's promise to give parliament a vote on the divorce settlement.

Former Tory minister Michael Heseltine indicated that he would join Labour and the pro-European Liberal Democrats in backing the second amendment.

In an article in the Mail on Sunday, he even suggested Britain could reverse its decision if the public mood changes before it leaves the EU.

"My opponents will argue that the people have spoken, the mandate secured and the future cast. My experience stands against this argument," he said.

'Do the right thing'

May needs the bill to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, after the Supreme Court ruled last month that she must seek parliament's approval to start the Brexit process.

Article 50 provides for a maximum of two years of negotiations to work out a divorce and the terms of future post-Brexit relations.

The bill passed through the elected House of Commons earlier this month amid heated debate, but with little real opposition.

But the Lords, where the Conservatives have just 252 out of around 800 peers, are threatening more trouble.

May has promised to resolve the issue of EU citizens in Britain as a priority in the negotiations, but will not guarantee their rights until she has secured the rights of Britons living overseas.

Dick Newby, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the Lords, said there was strong support among peers for addressing the question now.

There is "an overwhelming desire to do the right thing and ensure that all EU nationals have the right to remain," he told the Guardian on Sunday.

The prime minister has promised to control EU migration after Brexit, after the mass arrivals from mostly eastern Europe featured heavily in the referendum campaign.

But Downing Street played down media reports Monday that the cut-off date for new EU arrivals could come around the time that May triggers Article 50, saying it was an issue for negotiation.

Ministers are also reportedly considering plans to limit benefits for new immigrants and grant five-year visas to migrant works in key sectors, such as software engineering, health and social welfare, farming and hospitality.

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