30 Labour MPs Set To Defy Whip On Brexit Bill

Thirty Labour Party lawmakers are expected to go against party whip when the United Kingdom Parliament members vote on the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill late Wednesday.

According to the Guardian, former ministers Maria Eagle, Ben Bradshaw and David Lammy are among the Labour members of parliament set to vote against triggering Brexit, despite a three-line whip. The Brexit bill, if passed, will enable Prime Minister Theresa May to invoke Article 50 and start the process to leave the European Union.

The Guardian wrote that besides the 30 Labour MPs, all 54 Scottish National Party lawmakers, most Liberal Democrats, the Social Democratic and Labour representatives, the Green Party's Caroline Lucas and former Conservative Party chancellor Ken Clarke are expected to vote against the Brexit bill.

The bill came about as a result of a Supreme Court ruling last week which requires UK lawmakers to vote on the matter before May could initiate talks with the EU.

Meanwhile, BBC reported that Prime Minister May has confirmed that a White Paper setting out her Brexit strategy would be published on Thursday. The paper is separate from the Brexit bill and will contain items such as the status of EU nationals in the UK and Britons abroad.

The BBC report added that if the MPs vote for passing the Brexit bill, it will return to the House of Commons next week for the committee stage, when opposition parties will try to push through a series of amendments.

The Independent wrote that May should not be worried about the bill being rejected as she has the backing of the Leader of the Opposition, Labour's Jeremy Corbyn. The article mentioned that despite the rebels, at least two-thirds of the party's lawmakers will vote in favour of the bill.

Corbyn was quoted in the article as saying that MPs cannot remain in the shadow cabinet if they vote against the Brexit bill.  He however did not mention anything about lawmakers whose job is to persuade fellow Labour MPs to follow the shadow cabinet's instructions on how to vote, but intending to disobey themselves.

Tags

Labour Party, SNP, Liberal Democratic Party, Jeremy Cor, Theresa May, whip, Brexit

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