MPs to get 5 days to debate Article 50 bill

MPs will have five days to debate the Article 50 bill in Parliament, as the government works to ensure it sticks to its timetable to trigger the clause by the end of March.

At the first reading of the European Union Notification of Withdrawal Bill on Thursday, David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, confirmed that MPs will have five days to debate the bill.

He also confirmed that the committee stage will last only three days.

The second reading of the debate is to take place next week on Tuesday 31 January and Wednesday, with the second reading vote on Wednesday.

The following week, on Monday 6 February, Tuesday and Wednesday the bill will be debated in the committee and report stages and for the third reading. It will then be passed to the House of Lords.

Lidington said that government could not restrict how long the House of Lords takes to debate the bill, but maintained that MPs will have the final say.

On Wednesday, Brexit secretary David Davis refused to say whether the white paper on Brexit would be published before the Article 50 bill will be debated.

The speed of the bill being pushed through has been criticised by MPs.

Labour’s Ben Bradshaw said that the time limit was a “disgrace” and that it was “contempt of Parliament”.

This was echoed by SNP’s Alex Salmond and Labour’s David Lammy who said two days to debate the second reading of the bill shows “contempt for Parliamentary sovereignty”.

Labour MP Mike Grapes, said that there were “many, many days” of which was spent debating the 1992 Maastricht treaty, and Chuka Umunna, quoting former Conservative peer Lord Hailsham, said the government risked being an “elective dictatorship”.

Lidington said that it was a “straightforward” bill and that “the house voted both for the people to take the decision, and for the March timetable for the triggering of Article 50. The passage of the bill through parliament is intended to ensure that the wish of the house can be delivered”.

In December, Prime Minister Theresa May conceded to calls for greater clarity over Brexit and MPs backed a Labour motion to scrutinise the government’s Brexit plan before she triggers Article 50 by the end of March.