{"id":30546,"date":"2017-02-09T21:50:32","date_gmt":"2017-02-09T21:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=30546"},"modified":"2017-02-09T21:50:32","modified_gmt":"2017-02-09T21:50:32","slug":"lords-urged-to-back-brexit-bill-after-mps-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=30546","title":{"rendered":"Lords urged to back Brexit bill after MPs vote"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"In
In a still image taken from footage broadcast by the UK Parliamentary Recording Unit (PRU) on Wednesday. Members of Parliament react as the deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle announces the results of the main vote on the EU Notification of Withdrawl Bill to the members of parliament in the House of Commons in central London. AFP photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

International Desk: Legislation empowering Prime Minister Theresa May to start Brexit negotiations moves to Britain\u2019s House of Lords on Thursday\u2014with ministers urging peers to do their \u201cpatriotic duty\u201d and back it, reports AFP from London.<\/p>\n

MPs in parliament\u2019s lower chamber, the House of Commons, overwhelmingly backed the bill late Wednesday to allow May to trigger Article 50 of the EU\u2019s Lisbon Treaty, which she has promised to do by the end of March.<\/p>\n

Downing Street played down a warning by an unnamed government source that the unelected second chamber could face abolition if it stands in the way of Britain\u2019s exit from the European Union.<\/p>\n

But Brexit minister David Davis told Sky News: \u201cI expect it to do its job and to do its patriotic duty and actually give us the right to go on and negotiate that new relationship (with the EU).\u201d<\/p>\n

The source had earlier told journalists that the Lords, which many believe has long been ripe for reform, \u201cwill face an overwhelming public call to be abolished if they now try and frustrate this bill\u201d.<\/p>\n

May\u2019s Conservative party does not have a majority in the House of Lords, raising the possibility that peers may seek to block Brexit.<\/p>\n

However, the opposition Labour leader in the chamber, Baroness Angela Smith, said in October that she would not be obstructive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will scrutinise; we will examine; we will not block,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Britain\u2019s upper house, with 805 members, is the second-largest parliamentary chamber in the world, beaten only by China\u2019s National People\u2019s Congress.<\/p>\n

The European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill passed the Commons by 494 votes to 122 on Wednesday and after parliament takes a break next week, will be debated on the Lords starting on February 20. Ministers hope it will be approved on March 7.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile in the early weeks, there was speculation that pro-European lawmakers might try to delay or even stop the Brexit process.<\/p>\n

May initially sought to bypass parliament, prompting an appeal to the Supreme Court that last month ruled she must obtain their approval to trigger Article 50.<\/p>\n

But during five days of debate on the resulting government bill, it became clear that most MPs would not stop the process — even if some warned that leaving Europe's single market could be disastrous.<\/p>\n

The opposition Labour party and the smaller Scottish National Party (SNP) tabled amendments demanding guarantees on market access, workers' rights and those of EU citizens in Britain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

International Desk: Legislation empowering Prime Minister Theresa May to start Brexit negotiations moves to Britain\u2019s House of Lords on Thursday\u2014with ministers urging peers to do their \u201cpatriotic duty\u201d and back it, reports AFP from London. MPs in parliament\u2019s lower chamber, the House of Commons, overwhelmingly backed the bill late Wednesday to allow May to trigger […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":30547,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n