Brexit bill - as it happened: Government accused of 'cover up' as Labour vows to force release of secret papers
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Peers in the House of Lords have started the lengthy process of scrutinising Theresa May’s flagship Brexit legislation.
It comes after an influential committee in the Lords warned that the legislation – in its current form – is constitutionally unacceptable and will need to be substantially rewritten.
More than 190 members had lined up to speak during the two-day debate on the Bill’s second reading. During the first round of debates, on Tuesday, one of the best interventions came from the former Brexit minister Lord Bridges.
He challenged the Prime Minister to make clear what sort of relationship the Government wanted with the EU after Brexit, adding ministers have so far provided “no clear answers”, offering only “conflicting, confusing voices”.
He told peers he feared the Government would come up with “meaningless waffle” for its future relationship with Brussels, and that the implementation period would be “a gangplank into thin air”.
In the Commons – as Ms May headed for China on an official visit - Labour’s Shadow Brexit Secretary raised an urgent question following a leak of the Government’s Brexit impact assessments on Monday evening. The papers claimed that Britain will be worse off after leaving the bloc regardless of the deal.
Labour have now vowed to win a Commons vote to force the release of the secret analysis laying bare the economic damage from Brexit, as the affair was branded a “cover up” by one MP.
The leader of a major Labour-led council has resigned and accused allies of Jeremy Corbyn of "bullying" and "harassment".
Claire Kober, the Haringey Council leader, said she would step down after local elections in May. The centrist has held the post for almost a decade but became a target for left-wing activists over her support for a controversial housing regeneration scheme. Full story here:
The Labour leader of Haringey Council has dramatically quit over what she called “bullying” and “sexism” by supporters of Jeremy Corbyn. Claire Kober, who has held the post since 2008, said she would step down after May’s local elections amid controversy over a huge regeneration scheme in the borough.
This tweet from Liz Truss has caused a bit of a stir, with some social media users suggesting that the miners' strike, which centred on thousands of people losing their jobs, is not something the Chief Secretary to the Treasury should be joking about.
The Lords are back again debating the EU Withdrawal Billl.
Conservative peer Lord Tebbit is hitting out at BBC Bias
"Franky the BBC has become a supporter of a foreign organisation called the European Union"
On the Brexit papers leak, Lords Callanan tells peers the analysis is preliminary attempt to build on the flawed analysis published during the EU referendum.
At the foreign affairs committee, Baroness Cathy Ashton, a former EU commissioner, is now up. She says the phrase "Global Britain" is an aspiration.
This is a useful timeline from the Press Association on how Britain's exit from the EU is likely to unfold.
2018
January 31 - The EU (Withdrawal) Bill is expected to clear its second reading in the House of Lords.
February 21 - The Brexit Bill enters the committee stage in the Lords, likely to run on Mondays and Wednesdays for 10 days.
March 22-23 - A European Council summit in Brussels is expected to reach an agreement on an implementation period, clearing the way for exploratory talks on trade.
April - The Brexit Bill will be discussed for five days at report stage in the Lords.
May 3 - English local government elections will provide the Prime Minister with her first widespread electoral test since the disastrous snap election of June 8 2017.
May - The Brexit Bill is expected to be bounced between the Lords and the Commons in a bout of Parliamentary ping pong after the elections.
October 18 - The legally-binding treaty setting out the terms of the UK's withdrawal agreement and transition period is expected to be concluded. Alongside this, EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier hopes to be able to publish a political document setting out an agreement on the shape of a future treaty - or treaties - on trade and other issues like aviation, security and judicial co-operation.
2019
Winter/spring - Ratification of the withdrawal and transition treaty is expected, with MPs in Westminster being given a vote on whether or not to accept the deal, followed by a vote in the European Parliament, which holds a veto.
March - Final European Council summit at which the UK will take part as a member.
March 29 - Two years after the invocation of Article 50, the UK ceases to be a member of the EU. Because the exact moment of exit is midnight Brussels time, the UK is due to leave at 11pm on March 29. Under the terms of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, the bulk of Brussels legislation would be automatically transposed on to the UK statute book. Under the European Commission proposals, Britain would continue to observe EU rules and regulations while having no say in them.
June - European Parliament elections will take place without the UK.
2020
Mr Barnier envisages negotiations on a trade deal taking place during a 21-month transition period in 2019 and 2020 while Theresa May believes the deal can be concluded by March 2019 allowing the period to be used for the implementation of changes.
The UK will seek talks with other countries on free trade deals, though the Commission insists that these cannot be signed until the transition period is over.
Intensive work can be expected on practical arrangements such as the establishment of new regulatory agencies, recruitment of customs and immigration officers and amendment of business contracts.
December 31 - The European Commission's proposed date for the end of the transition period, coinciding with the end of the EU's seven-year budget, which includes UK contributions. Brexit Secretary David Davis has said it could be a few months either side.
47 MPs have now demanded David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, release the Brexit impact assessments. They include the senior Tory MPs Ken Clarke and Anna Soubry. The letter has been organised by Open Britain, who are campaigning for a soft Brexit.
Labour MP Chuka Umunna, a leading supporter of the Open Britain campaign, said: “After last night’s revelations, we need answers and clarity from the Government. Instead, the Brextremist minister Steve Baker has just insulted MPs with a series of non-answers, obfuscations and confused pronouncements in the House of Commons.
“As a result of this unacceptable attempt to conceal vital information from Parliament and the public, we are writing to demand an urgent explanation from the Secretary of State.
“The impact of Brexit is a matter of interest to every person in this country. Any taxpayer-funded analysis produced by the Government should therefore be published in full and without delay.”
Former Brexit minister Lord Bridges of Headley has attacked the Government over Brexit in the Lords.
The Conservative peer, who left the Government in July, said: "What is the country we wish to build once we have left the European Union?
"Only once we have answered this question can we properly and fully answer the second question - what agreement do we want to strike with the European Union? What do we value more, parliamentary sovereignty and control, or market access and trade?
"Four months on, and there are still no clear answers to these basic, critical questions. All we hear, day after day, are conflicting, confusing voices.
"If this continues, and ministers cannot agree among themselves on the future relationship the Government wants, how can this Prime Minister possibly negotiate a clear, precise heads of terms for the future relationship with the EU?"
He added: "My fear is that we will get meaningless waffle in a political declaration in October.
"The implementation period will not be a bridge to a clear destination. It will be a gang plank into thin air.
"The EU will have the initiative in the second stage of the negotiations and we shall find ourselves forced to accept a deal that gives us access to EU markets, but without UK politicians having a meaningful say over swathes of legislation and regulation.
"Some may say this outcome would not be the end of the world. Some may say it's inevitable.
"My point today is this. At this pivotal moment in our history, we cannot, we must not, indulge in that very British habit of just muddling through.
"With under 300 working days until we leave the European Union, we need to know the Government's answers to these simple questions."
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