Whilst December’s European Council summit looms large on the Brexit horizon, the immediate attention of the UK government has been dragged back to Westminster in an effort to get the Withdrawal Bill through Committee stage in one piece.
One of the most controversial sticking points of the proposed legislation is the plan to include a specific date and time for Brexit to be enacted – 23:00 GMT on 29th March 2019. Opponents of this measure, including 15 government backbenchers, are concerned that this will bind the UK to leaving the EU at that precise moment and deny the opportunity to extend the Article 50 period for negotiating a final deal if needed. The EU has indicated its willingness to allow more time to secure a trade deal if requested by the UK, providing that terms of withdrawal have been agreed by ‘Brexit Day’.
However, the government is reluctant to ask for an extension, for fear of being seen to retreat from the referendum decision itself and concern over the backlash this may incur from ‘hard’ Brexiteers. David Davis appears to be taking the ‘hard’ Brexit line in saying ‘No deal, no transition’. Those MPs calling for a more flexible approach deny that they are attempting to derail Brexit and insist that their intentions are simply to reassure businesses and achieve the best possible economic outcome from any deal.
The first two of eight days of Committee-stage scrutiny, due to take place over the course of the next month, passed without defeat for the government on any proposed amendments to the Bill. More votes will follow, and the specific vote about the Brexit date amendment is not scheduled until December. The ‘Henry VIII’ measures currently contained in the Bill continue to unsettle several MPs who fear that parliamentary scrutiny of legal changes caused by Brexit will not take place.
Meanwhile, Brexit Secretary, David Davis, has promised that the UK parliament will be given a vote on approving the final deal. However, once again, some MPs are not entirely happy with the plan. Whilst they welcome the opportunity to vote, they are demanding the option to call for a renegotiation if the deal presented is unacceptable. As things stand, the vote will be presented on a binary ‘take it or leave it’ basis.
And what of the aforementioned and fast-approaching December summit? The European Council has clearly stated that it will not move on to Phase 2 discussion about transition and a trade deal until Phase 1 issues have been resolved.
Whilst not asking the UK to provide specific figures, the EU expects an itemised list of what the UK believes are its financial settlement obligations. Only days remain for this to be delivered in time for the summit. Without agreement, Phase 2 will be pushed back to March – with no further wriggle room available beyond that point.
Article published: 17th November 2017
