BREXIT: Powers will avoid scrutiny

The bill contains Henry Vlll powers, which enable Government ministers to change much of this legislation behind closed doors, without Parliamentary scrutiny.

To make matters worse, through the Finance Bill the next day, the Government’s plan to ensure a Conservative majority on the Brexit select committee was voted through as well, even though without the help of the DUP it would be a minority government.

This means that any amendments to improve the bill may well be voted down.

Angels for Europe is closely scrutinising the Brexit process. It is one of our campaigning objectives.

We were pleased to see that Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery voted against both these bills.

Unsurprisingly, among the other of Northumberland’s MPs, Guy Opperman, of Hexham, and Anne-Marie Trevelyan, of Berwick, voted for both of them.

Ronnie Campbell, MP for Blyth Valley, a former coal miner, voted in the same way as Anne-Marie Trevelyan, a former city accountant. It can’t be often that those two MPs agree.

Peter Fuller,

Julia Duggan,

Lynda McKenna,

Angels4Europe