UK Parliament passes Brexit Bill, Theresa May can now trigger Article 50
The prime minister might wait till the end of the month to begin the Brexit process.
The United Kingdom Parliament on Monday passed the Brexit Bill, a landmark legislation that will allow the government to trigger Article 50 that will begin the process of leaving the European Union. The Bill is expected to become a law on Tuesday.
British Prime Minister Theresa May can now trigger Brexit talks as early as today, but reports said she is likely to wait until the end of the month. Ahead of the Parliemant vote, her spokesperson had said, “We have been clear that the prime minister will trigger Article 50 by the end of March.”
The EU Withdrawal Bill was passed with 274 votes to 118. There had been discussion over amendments regarding the rights of EU citizens in the UK and the Parliament having a “meaningful vote” on the Brexit deal, The Guardian reported. This means the amendments would have had the government bring forward proposals on how they could protect EU citizens within three months of initiating Brexit.
Campaigners for Brexit have called this vote a “clear mandate” for the UK government to begin its official negotiations.
In June last year, Britain had voted to leave the European Union. David Cameron, who was prime minister at the time, had stepped down following the results of the Brexit vote.
On Monday, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would seek a second referendum to seek independence from the UK. Scottish leaders have been vocal against Brexit, calling it a “devastating act of sabotage on Scotland’s economy”.