MPs could overturn the 2016 in a ”democratic affront”, according to Liam Fox.
International Trade Secretary, Liam Fox, warned that Mps steal Brexit from the British people” if Theresa May’s proposed deal is rejected, as he spoke of a “natural Remain majority” in Parliament. His warning came as MPs yesterday defeated Theresa May’s Brexit plans, insisting they must have a say on the final form Brexit will take.
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox suggested the PM’s deal was the only way of guaranteeing the UK leaves the EU, as scheduled, on 29 March 2019.
“When you are in prison and someone offers you a key, you take it,” he told a committee of MPs. Fox said the UK being kept in the EU against the will of the British people would be more damaging than the disorderly outcome of a no deal.
“I think that there is a real danger that the House of Commons which has a natural remain majority may attempt to steal Brexit from British people which would be a democratic affront,” he said”. Everyone has to think at this momentous moment – do we want to ensure that Brexit gets over the line? Do we want to deliver on the verdict of the 17.4 million people who voted to leave the European Union because if we don’t back the prime minister, we risk there being no Brexit and that I think would be a fatal blow to faith in democracy.”
The Conservative government lost three defeats in one day, the first of its kind in four decades. Britain as a country is undergoing historical changes of epic proportion, the importance of getting things right cannot be overstated. The first defeat of the government to have the legal advice issue dealt with separately by the Privileges Committee of MPs was inevitable, given the seriousness of the issue. Transparency on legal advice relating to Brexit was imperative
The second defeat that saw ministers were found in contempt of parliament and forced to concede they would have to publish that advice in full, having previously argued this would break convention and was not in the national interest
Most significantly, the third defeat was over changes to the parliamentary process in the event that the Commons votes down Mrs May’s deal.
Instead of being confined to merely “taking note” of what the government tells them, MPs would also be able to exert more influence by voting on what they want the government to do next.
This could potentially see Parliament wrest control of the Brexit process from ministers if, as expected, MPs push for a “Plan B” alternative to Mrs May’s deal and seek to prevent any chance of Britain leaving the EU without a deal in place.
Security will be the focus of the second of five days of debate in the Commons, where Tuesday’s marathon session extended into the early hours.