This week has been all about Brexit and trying to complete the passage of the EU Withdraw Bill through Parliament. Last week I wrote a little about why we have to consider amendments from the House of Lords and made clear that whilst I support the right of the second chamber to scrutinise and revise legislation, there must ultimately be a point when they accept the will of the elected chamber.
So far this week, the House of Commons has voted with a clear majority to remove the amendments made to the Bill by their lordships and in some cases to put compromise amendments in their place. There is a palpable sense that we are making progress and I think it would be unwise for the Lords to rebuff the Commons again.
The public reaction to all this impenetrable parliamentary process and the politics that surrounds it is very negative.
The thing I hear more than anything else is “hurry up and just get it done.” I agree of course - I can’t wait for Brexit to be done and the national debate moving on.
However, the 250 hours of Parliamentary debate are an important part of the democratic process. As remainers like to point out, the referendum instructed us to leave the EU but lots of the detail on how to do so has been left to Parliament to work out. Our parliamentary democracy is at its strongest when the Government is having to compromise to win votes and that’s exactly what’s going on this week.
So to those who claim that this is a Brexit of the Government’s design forced through by the Government’s Whips, I politely suggest that you’re wrong and invite you to compare the EU Withdraw Bill in its current form to the way it started. 250 hours of debate and over a thousand proposed amendments have changed it significantly. Parliament has done exactly as it should.