May urges MPs to back key Brexit Bill ahead of Commons showdown
The Prime Minister and Brexit Secretary are pleading with MPs to pass the EU (Withdrawal) Bill ahead of a two-day debate.
Thursday 7 September 2017 09:01, UK
Theresa May and David Davis are pleading with supporters and opponents of Brexit to back the legislation pulling Britain out of the EU.
They are pledging to listen to all opinions during an historic two-day House of Commons debate on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, but claim it is vital the Bill is passed by MPs.
Lawyers have described the Bill, which Jeremy Corbyn has ordered Labour MPs to vote against, as the biggest change in the UK's legal system for 45 years.
Opponents, including some pro-Remain Tory MPs, claim it is a power grab by the Government.
But the Prime Minister, who will be on the Government's front bench for the debate, says it is about delivering Brexit.
"The Repeal Bill helps deliver the outcome the British people voted for by ending the role of the EU in UK law, but it's also the single most important step we can take to prevent a cliff-edge for people and businesses, because it provides legal certainty," she said.
The 66-page Bill is dominated by three major measures:
:: Repeal of the 1972 European Communities Act, the legislation which took Britain into the Common Market
:: Transfer of EU laws into UK law so they continue to apply after Brexit
:: Giving ministers the power to change old EU laws once they are part of UK law
Opening the Commons debate, which concludes with a vote next Monday, the Brexit Secretary will promise to work with MPs as well as welcoming scrutiny and debate on the Bill at its second reading and then in its committee stage.
"In bringing forward this Bill, we are ensuring the smoothest possible exit from the EU - an exit that enables the continued stability of the UK's legal system, and maximises certainty for business, consumers and individuals across the UK," Mr Davis will say.
"We are not rejecting EU law, but embracing the work done between member states in over 40 years of membership and using that solid foundation to build on in the future, once we return to being masters of our own laws.
"I hope everyone in this House recognises this Bill's essential nature - it is the foundation upon which we will legislate for years to come - and I look forward to working with the whole House to deliver the Bill."
It is the third part of the Bill, a so-called Henry VIII clause, that has prompted Mr Corbyn and his shadow cabinet to confirm that Labour MPs will be ordered to vote against it at second reading.
First Minister of State Damian Green said the bill did not amount to a power grab but rather was an essential tool to put the referendum result into effect and ensure continuity after decades of EU integration.
He told Sky News he expected the Bill to get a "huge amount of support" from Tory MPs.
"I'd be surprised if Conservatives didn't overwhelmingly support this Bill because it is hugely important, it is central - this is the Bill that actually puts into effect the referendum results."
The Commons debate follows Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions in which Mrs May was forced to adopt a conciliatory tone towards the pro-Remain Tory MP and leading Brexit rebel Anna Soubry, who signalled she is prepared to lead a backbench rebellion.
Twisting the stiletto, the former minister warned the PM of "very serious concerns" on Conservative benches the Bill could become an "unprecedented and unnecessary Government power grab".
In a sign of her apparent weakness on this legislation, due to her lack of a Commons majority, Mrs May could not have been more friendly towards Ms Soubry, promising to meet her and any other Tory MP to hear their concerns.
But the Prime Minister will have been relieved Mr Corbyn, in his six questions at PMQs, chose to ignore both Brexit and the leaked bombshell Home Office document, which revealed plans for a tough crackdown on unskilled EU migrants after exiting the EU.
Instead, Mr Corbyn launched an attack on the PM on public sector pay, zero-hours contracts, pay and conditions at McDonald's and Sports Direct, and "dumped Tory manifesto promises".
Some Labour MPs claimed their leader avoided both Brexit and immigration because his party's own position is ambiguous and is also split on immigration.
Others suggested Mr Corbyn has only ordered his Labour MPs to vote against the EU (Withdrawal) Bill because he knows he does not have the numbers to defeat the Government at the second reading vote next Monday evening.
It was left to the Scottish National Party's Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, to challenge Mrs May on immigration, with the PM responding by defiantly defending the Government's plans for post-Brexit controls.