Theresa May could trigger Article 50 on Tuesday
It comes as the Labour Party have written a letter to the Prime Minister desperately pleading for her to accept the two Lords amendments on the rights of European Union citizens and granting parliament a “meaningful” vote.
There may be no formal agreement on the rights of European Union citizens living in the United Kingdom until the end of the Brexit negotiations, Liam Fox and David Davis have suggested. She must seek British parliamentary approval for the referendum.
If the Upper Chamber decides not to contest the rejection of its amendment by the elected House, as expected, Mrs May needs only to await royal assent of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill before triggering Article 50.
The latest amendment made by peers last week would force the government to give MPs a “meaningful vote” on the final Brexit deal before Britain could leave the EU.
Davis said he was interested in the rights of millions ofcitizens, bringing together Europeans in the United Kingdom and Britons living on the continent, adding that he would take personal “moral responsibility” for their future guarantees.
However, before that can begin, MPs must vote on Monday on whether to make two amendments to the legislation giving the Prime Minister the power to start Brexit.
Elected lawmakers will vote on those amendments later Monday, with the government urging Conservative Party members to reject the new conditions, allowing May maximum flexibility in talks with Brussels.
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said the government had been “reckless” not to prepare for a Leave vote and also in its approach to Article 50 negotiations.
The Scottish First Minister said she had not received the assurances she wanted from the PM, and that she had no choice but to push for another vote.
“The simple truth is this - deal or no deal, vote or no vote, positive vote or negative vote, this process is irreversible”, said Conservative legislator Edward Leigh.
However, No.10 has squashed speculation that she could trigger Article 50 as early as tomorrow, signalling that will now happen in the last week of March.
She said: “If you look at the way things are being flagged up, that actually both the Prime Minister and Boris Johnson say we should be asking them for some money back - I think the big fear is we will be crashing out in six months”.
The government says voters have spoken and Britons should unite behind the decision to leave. These include ongoing disputes over the exit bill; uncertainty for United Kingdom citizens in the EU and European citizens resident in Britain; trading on WTO terms; a “regulatory gap” as Britain makes the transition from a system of EU rules to domestic ones; the sudden return of a customs border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Monday said she plans to seek approval to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence before the United Kingdom exits the European Union. The Scottish held a referendum on leaving the United Kingdom in 2014, and voted to stay by a decent margin.