Labour plans to force Theresa May to submit to better scrutiny of the Brexit process and the protection of workers’ rights if the government loses the article 50 case in the supreme court and has to bring a bill to parliament.
Jeremy Corbyn has emphasised that his party will not block the triggering of article 50 but plans to table amendments “to make demands on rights, protections and market access”.
The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, said he believed there was enough support across the House of Commons for an amendment to ensure MPs can influence the Brexit process throughout the two years of negotiations.
“We think there will be a majority across the House of Commons, not just in our party but working with others and with Conservatives as well, to amend it in such a way that we get proper parliamentary scrutiny,” he said.
However, the Labour frontbench is not currently keen on teaming up with a cross-party alliance of Lib Dems, the SNP, Greens, some Labour and a handful of Tories who want to force the UK to stay in the single market and customs union.
Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, McDonnell said the party would drive a “sensible British compromise” over Brexit that would not block the process but ensures jobs, living standards and wages were protected.
There will only be legislation in the House of Commons and House of Lords if the government loses its supreme court case on Tuesday, which would force it to give parliament a say in triggering article 50.
If that happens, May is likely to table a short bill and rush the legislation through parliament to allow her to activate article 50 before her self-imposed deadline of the end of March.
Most Lib Dems, the SNP and several dozen Labour MPs, as well as the Tory former chancellor Ken Clarke, are planning to vote against the bill, but it is likely to pass overwhelmingly with frontbench Conservative and Labour support.
Labour faces immense challenges over its response to Brexit. About two-thirds of Labour MPs represent leave constituencies, but a number of shadow ministers have indicated they would not be happy if forced to vote for Brexit. A group of 43 Labour MPs wrote to May over the weekend, protesting at her plans to take the UK out of the single market and customs union, and at her willingness to default to the World Trade Organisation system.
Corbyn signalled he would whip his MPs in favour of triggering article 50 when he said last week that he would ask them to vote in that direction. Labour MPs reported being approached by the whips with that suggestion.
However, the Labour leader and other senior frontbenchers repeated on Sunday that they had not taken a final decision on the whipping arrangements for a vote.
“I will ask all Labour MPs to respect the result of the referendum and allow article 50 to be opened so we start that two-year, probably longer, period of negotiation,” Corbyn told Sky’s Ridge on Sunday.
Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, said discussions about the whip were ongoing and the situation was difficult.
“We’re talking to colleagues, we don’t know the outcome of the case,” he said. “But I’m not going to pretend that this isn’t difficult for the Labour party. There are colleagues in the PLP [parliamentary Labour party] who are very concerned, as I am, about the outcome of the referendum.”
Starmer said Labour wanted a meaningful vote on the final deal of Britain’s future relationship with the EU.
“I do not accept the proposition that on the second vote – which is the one that really counts, the new relationship – that we should have a vote that is a rock and a hard place. I don’t accept that, and we’ll be fighting that.”
