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When the House of Commons voted overwhelmingly last week in favour of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill, granting Theresa May the ability to invoke Article 50 and steam ahead with a hard Brexit,\u00a0there was some muttering among members of the real and supposed opposition regarding potential amendments.<\/p>\n
The cursory bill, introduced by Brexit secretary David Davis after the Supreme Court requested some sort of say for parliament, passed in the Commons by 498 votes to 114. The following day the government belatedly published a white paper ostensibly setting out its Brexit plans. At 77 pages \u2013 replete with blank spaces and the odd embellishment or \u2018mistake\u2019 \u2013 the hastily produced document was rightly condemned for \u2018saying nothing\u2019 and being unveiled too late for \u2018meaningful\u2019 scrutiny.<\/p>\n
It effectively regurgitates the speech delivered by Theresa May a couple of weeks ago at Lancaster House, waffling through \u2018twelve objectives\u2019 while only serving to clarify all of those things which Brexit is not.<\/p>\n
It will mean no single market, no full membership of the customs union, no freedom of movement, no assurances to EU citizens already residing in the UK, no European Court of Justice, and no substantial parliamentary vote as negotiations draw to a close.\u00a0But the government is optimistic that alternatives and compromises will be found in all of these cases, so if we just shut up and let them get on with it hopefully everything will turn out for the best.<\/p>\n
The most egregious \u2018oversight\u2019 or \u2018slip\u2019 arrived on page 32, with a chart claiming that British workers are currently entitled to 14 weeks of annual leave. The actual average figure for a full-time worker is around 28 days. And seeking to present the country as an unanticipated bastion of generosity, the chart compares the UK\u2019s entitlements to the EU\u2019s regulated minimums. In fact the white paper overall says precious little about protecting workers\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n
Following last Wednesday\u2019s vote \u2013 rejected by the Scottish National Party, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru, Green, 47 Labour MPs, plus Ken Clarke, the solitary Conservative, but supported\u00a0by 319 Tories and 167 Labour MPs, who faced a three-line whip compelling them to back the bill \u2013 Alex Salmond, the SNP\u2019s former leader and current foreign affairs spokesman at Westminster, said \u2018Next week there will be detailed questions and the calibre of the government will be judged by how they respond to the amendments\u2019.<\/p>\n
He could rightfully boast his party\u2019s continued opposition to a reckless, underhand, barely scrutinised Brexit of the far-right. But it was curious to find Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party, after consenting to Theresa May\u2019s every whim, still attempting to present his party as engaged in a\u00a0meaningful \u2018battle\u2019. After the vote Corbyn said:<\/p>\n
\u2018Now the battle of the week ahead is to shape Brexit negotiations to put jobs, living standards and accountability centre stage. Labour\u2019s amendments are the real agenda. The challenge is for MPs of all parties to ensure the best deal for Britain, and that doesn\u2019t mean giving Theresa May a free hand to turn Britain into a bargain-basement tax haven.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n In truth with last week\u2019s vote, the Labour Party consented wholeheartedly to whatever the government happens to wish. The Conservatives and Theresa May as Prime Minister now have carte blanche to conduct Brexit negotiations without oversight or debate. The amendments proposed yesterday could, most charitably, have been described as an attempt to cause death to hard\u00a0Brexit by means of so many\u00a0tiny pin pricks, only there were precious few of them, and besides none of them pricked.<\/p>\n Instead the amendments touted a week ago by Corbyn and Salmond were rejected in turn along party lines, except for one proposed by the Liberal Democrats, which Labour and many SNP MPs simply ignored.<\/p>\n Labour amendments to prevent tax evasion and excessive tax competition during negotiations with the EU; to consult Gibraltar before invoking\u00a0Article 50; to require the publication of a report on the financial effects of EU withdrawal on the NHS; to protect the rights of already residing EU citizens; and to ensure the UK\u2019s continued membership of the nuclear research programme Euratom \u2013 all were defeated thanks to the Conservative majority in parliament, by between 338-327 votes versus 290-287.<\/p>\n An amendment\u00a0which sought to uphold the Good Friday Agreement was defeated by a similar margin. And an amendment proposed by the Liberal Democrats, which would have seen the final Brexit deal go to a referendum, was defeated by 340 votes to 33 as many opposition MPs abstained.<\/p>\n After having all of their amendments roundly dismissed, Labour still went ahead and voted for Brexit anyway. True this time 52 Labour MPs stood against the bill \u2013 including shadow business secretary Clive Lewis, who in the process announced his resignation from the front bench \u2013 representing\u00a0a slight increase in the 47 dissenters from last time round. But with a slightly fuller house and approved by 494 votes to 122, the extent of the bill\u2019s victory was barely altered.<\/p>\n Jeremy Corbyn made an utter fool of himself, tweeting that the \u2018Real fight starts now. Over next two years Labour will use every opportunity to ensure Brexit protects jobs, living standards and the economy\u2019. But the SNP leader and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon upbraided him for giving the Tories a \u2018blank cheque\u2019, adding \u2018You didn\u2019t win a single concession but still voted for the bill. Pathetic\u2019.<\/p>\n