This is sovereignty, baby!
Finally, the will of the people has been realised. On Wednesday, the House of Lords passed the EU Withdrawal Bill after backing down on an amendment that would have allowed Parliament to have a say on the final Brexit deal.
MPs voted by 319 to 303 to reject a House of Lords amendment that would have given the Commons the chance to block a “no deal” Brexit.
Many will be cheered by the news that Parliament is finally taking back control by blocking itself from having control.
A Department for Exiting the EU spokesperson said, “It is a good moment for all those who want a smooth and orderly exit,” which was in reference to either Brexit, or a burning building.
It was not plain sailing for the Government however, as Conservative MP Andrea Jenkyns pointed out on Twitter.
I have been told that Labour Whips are telling their MPs to vote for the Lords amendments as they want to bring down the Government. They are playing party politics which will harm our #Brexit negotiations, damage our country and our democracy. 17.4million people have spoken!
— Andrea Jenkyns MP 🇬🇧 (@andreajenkyns) June 20, 2018
“I have been told that Labour Whips are telling their MPs to vote for the Lords amendments as they want to bring down the Government,” the MP for Morley and Outwood told her followers. “They are playing party politics which will harm our #Brexit negotiations, damage our country and our democracy. 17.4million people have spoken!”
It really is a damning indictment on Labour that not only do they want to bring down the Government, but they are willing to damage our country by playing party politics. Politics has no place in politics. Labour should take a leaf out of the Conservatives’ book, and put country before party.
As Jenkyns argues, 17.4 million people have spoken, and they said “we want Brexit, even if it means leaving with no deal. That’s what it says on the ballot paper. If we get no deal, our own Parliament shouldn’t have control of what happens, even though they should take back control from the EU.” In contrast, the 16.1 million people who voted Remain didn’t speak, so their views must is discarded.
The bill’s passing was also cheered by former MP Douglas Carswell.
https://twitter.com/DouglasCarswell/status/1009700096341106689
We voted to leave the EU and you just can’t go changing your mind when it comes to politics. “To all MPs, in whatever party, who voted to respect the referendum result; thank you,” said the former MP who changed his mind about which party he wanted to be in.
Despite the attempts of Labour Whips to undermine democracy by giving Parliament more power, many MPs were unmoved, including Scott Mann.
“I’m voting for the Brexit my constituents voted for,” Mann told his followers, after asking his constituents what they specifically voted for and every constituent telling him the same thing.
The Labour Whips don't need to work on me 😉. I'm voting for the Brexit my constituents voted for.
— Scott Mann MP (@scottmann4NC) June 20, 2018
Labour rebels, including Kate Hoey and John Mann, were praised for defying their party whip to side with the Government.
One tweet, shared by Tory MP Sir Robert Syms, explained that it was “not in the national interest to undermine our negotiating position.”
Pleased that patriotic Labour MPs Frank Field, Kate Hoey, John Mann and Graham Stringer voted with the Government against the Grieve amendment. Not in the national interest to undermine our negotiating position.
— Harry Phibbs (@harryph) June 20, 2018
Indeed, the vote actually strengthens our negotiating position. When the EU realise that our Parliament has no power to stop a no deal Brexit, they will be forced to give us a good deal for some reason.
