UK Parliament passes bill to negotiate Brexit

14 Mar '17

2 min read

The British Parliament has passed the Brexit bill, which paves the way for prime minister Theresa May to begin negotiations for the country's exit from the European Union. The bill will become law once it receives Royal Assent from Queen Elizabeth II. Once the bill becomes law, May could trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to start negotiations.

The bill was passed after the House of Commons rejected amendments suggested by the House of Lords. The amendment seeking to protect the status of EU nationals within three months of the start of the Brexit talks was rejected by 335 votes to 287. The other amendment calling for Parliament to have a meaningful vote on any Brexit agreement was also dismissed by 331 to 286 votes.

Once the House of Commons passed the EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill without any amendments, the House of Lords too passed it unamended by 274 votes to 118.

Meanwhile, Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that she will be seeking the Parliament's permission to hold a referendum on Scotland's independence from the UK. If the Parliament approves, it will be the second such referendum for Scottish independence. In an earlier referendum in 2014, Scotts had voted to remain part of the UK. (RKS)

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