Theresa May urges House of Lords Members to not hold up Brexit Bill

The British Prime Minister, Theresa May on 20 February urged the members of the House of Lords to not stall the crucial Brexit Bill.

The bill had earlier passed unchanged from the House of Commons with a majority of 372.

Though the House of Lords, the upper house of the British Parliament, does not have the powers to reject the bill out rightly, as it has already been passed by the lower house- the House of Commons, it can however, delay its passing by holding several readings and debates or send it back to the House of Commons for further debate and votes.

Bill authorising Brexit passed by Britain’s Lower house

May saw the need to intervene before the House takes its final decision, as her party- the Conservative party does not hold a majority in this house, like it did in the lower one. She in one of her speeches during her visit to the constituency of Stoke said that the bill was not amended in the House of Commons and so, she hoped that the House of Lords will pay attention to that.

While she approves debate and scrutiny of the bill in the upper house, she emphasised that she didn’t want to see anyone holding up the wish of the British people, which is for Britain to leave the European Union.

The House of Lords would be beginning its second reading debate of the bill on 21 February 2017 and the final voting will also take place on the same day if the opposition allows the bill to go unopposed at this stage.

If the bill is not amended then it might get approved by the House at the third reading, which is scheduled on 7 March 2017, after which it could go on and become a law.

Once the bill becomes a law, May would be able to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and initiate UK’s exit from the European Union.