Well done Tory rebels – your next democratic rebellion should be on the Brexit Trade Bill

When it comes to our trade relationship with the EU, Westminster MPs will not have a say, while even local assemblies in places like the Belgian region of Wallonia will

Dominic Grieve vowed he would not be ’signing in blood now that I will follow over the edge of the cliff’ (AFP)

So they did it. In a nail biting vote last night, Tory rebels and opposition MPs won the right to have a meaningful vote on the Brexit deal. While it might not revolutionise British politics as we know it, the vote was a welcome victory for democracy in this bitterly divided country.

Being a complete politics geek, I watched the debate. And it was heartening to see MPs arguing the insanity of the fact that without the amendment, Westminster would probably be the only national parliament in the EU not to get a say on the UK-EU withdrawal agreement.

As things stand, Parliament has very little say on trade agreements agreed with other countries. Basically, in constitutional terms, the Government uses the Queen’s power (the royal prerogative) to do as they please on trade. Parliament’s consent is assumed unless it can pass a motion that has the effect of delaying ratification, but this is a fiddly procedure that has never been used. In effect, Parliament is sidelined from the negotiation and approval of trade agreements.

And despite this amendment passing, Westminster is still not guaranteed a meaningful vote on the final trade deal between the UK and EU. Amendment seven was about getting a vote on the Withdrawal Agreement, which is almost certainly not going to include an agreement on the long term future UK-EU trade relationship. That comes after the UK leaves and could take many years to conclude.

So when it comes to the trade relationship with what will still be the UK’s biggest trading partner, Westminster MPs will not have a say, while even local assemblies in places like the Belgian region of Wallonia will. I don’t expect the Belgians would be happy if the Greater London Assembly or Stormont got a vote on a UK-EU trade deal while their national parliament didn’t. But that is exactly the situation we have.

So while the victory on the meaningful vote on Brexit was very welcome, it’s time for MPs to turn their attention to that other piece of Brexit legislation coming up – the Trade Bill. The second reading is scheduled for early January. After that, MPs will have a short window of opportunity to amend the Bill to ensure that Parliament has a meaningful say on future trade deals.

The alternative is too terrifying to comprehend. We could be doing dodgy deals with Donald Trump or Saudi Arabia while ignoring human rights concerns. Liam Fox would love nothing else but to sign agreements that include ratchet clauses (locking in privatisation forever) and ISDS (letting corporations sue you for making policy they don’t like). All of these things are the very opposite of Taking Back Control™ and will arguably bind the hands of future UK governments much more than EU membership did. The only way to ensure that this doesn’t happen without the proper Parliamentary and public scrutiny is if the Trade Bill is amended.

So, this is a message for Dominic Grieve, Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston, Kenneth Clarke and all the others who bravely put democracy above party yesterday. Your country needs you again. Please follow the logic of your vote on Amendment seven yesterday to its conclusion and back trade democracy.

Alex Scrivener is a campaigner for Global Justice Now