MPs back Brexit legislation, stiffer tests yet to come
![MPs back Brexit legislation, stiffer tests yet to come](https://92newshd.tv/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/brexit-4.jpg)
LONDON (Reuters) - British MPs voted in favour of the government’s legislative blueprint for Brexit on Wednesday, marking a victory for Prime Minister Theresa May over political opponents who want a softer approach to leaving the European Union.
But the legislation will now face scrutiny from parliament’s largely pro-EU upper house, where May’s party does not have a majority, which will intensify efforts to force a re-run of a 2016 referendum, and water down or even stop the divorce.
The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill was approved by a 324 to 295 vote in the lower house - a milestone on the long road towards cementing the legal foundations of Britain’s departure from the bloc.
The bill repeals the 1972 law that made Britain a member of the EU, and transfers EU laws into British ones.
“This bill is essential for preparing the country for the historic milestone of withdrawing from the European Union,” Brexit minister David Davis told parliament before the vote.
“It ensures that on day one we will have a statute book that works, delivering the smooth and orderly exit desired by people and businesses across the United Kingdom and being delivered by this government.”
The bill has become the focal point for months of divisive debate about what type of EU divorce Britain should seek, severely testing May’s ability to deliver on her exit strategy without a parliamentary majority.
But despite one embarrassing parliamentary defeat, several government concessions and rebellion from within her own party, May’s Conservative MPs overcame opposition from the Labour Party and others.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn instructed his MPs to vote against passage of the bill because the government had not met conditions set out by the party, demanding safeguards on a range of issues including workers and consumer rights.
“This bill has never been fit for purpose,” said Labour’s Brexit policy chief, Keir Starmer, describing any attempt to persuade the government that the legislation needed to change as “talking to a brick wall”.