Parliament begins Brexit debate
On Tuesday, the UK’s lower house will begin debating a bill giving the government authority to trigger Brexit. A vote is expected on Feb. 8, after which the bill will move to the upper house for approval.
Despite PM Theresa May’s insistence that Brexit begin by the end of March, the bill to be introduced on Tuesday – which is just five paragraphs long – contains no date. While the process isn’t expected to be delayed, the government will face some pushback from opposition parties.
Ms May’s strongest domestic challenge will come from the Scottish National Party, which says it will table some 50 amendments to water down the legislation to prevent a “hard Brexit”.
But Labour’s leader says he’ll force his party’s 231 lawmakers to vote for the bill.
In one form or another, the passage of Ms May’s Brexit bill looks certain – her chances of securing a better deal than the UK already has do not.