After several months of threats
and counter threats from both sides, members of parliament finally voted tremendously
in support of the Prime Minister’s resolve to invoke Article 50 on or before
the end of March 2017 to kick start the formal process of leaving the European
Union.
Though stiff oppositions emanated
from the SNP, Liberal Democrats, 47 Labour rebels and one Tory MP, the House of
Commons still voted in favour of the PM’s plan by 498 votes against 114.
The issue of Article 50 had
caused the Labour party some loss, as members of the party have been tendering
resignation letter in protest to the position of Jeremy Corbyn, the latest came
in about an hour before the vote took place, as Dawn Butler and Rachael Maskell
resigned.
While speaking with Sky News, Ex-shadow
environment secretary Ms Maskell stated that in the referendum her York
constituents overwhelmingly backed staying in the EU and "nobody in this
country supported a Theresa May Brexit, a hard Brexit, that's going to take us
out of the single market".
"That question was never on
the ballot paper and therefore I felt it was wrong to support the Government
today."
A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said:
"Labour MPs voted more than three to one in favour of triggering Article
50.
"Now the battle of the week
ahead is to shape Brexit negotiations to put jobs, living standards and
accountability centre stage. Labour's amendments are the real agenda."
Also, pro-EU Tory Mr Clarke told
Sky News the "battle has only just started" as he criticised the
"disastrous nature of the decision taken", adding that "we live
in an unreal, silly world".
However, pro-Brexit Conservative
MP Iain Duncan Smith said of the UK's future relationship with the EU:
"We're going to co-operate, get on with trade and be friends, and still
stay part of the defence organisation... but not be run by the European
Union."
A SNP amendment to halt the bill
because it was argued there was not enough consultation was defeated earlier by
336 votes to 100, of which 33 were from Labour.
Now that the bill has overcome
its opening test, it will continue its path through Parliament over the coming
weeks, including at committee stage.
Former chancellor George Osborne,
who was accused of masterminding 'Project Fear' by Vote Leave, stated how
saddened he was that Britain was now "bracketed in the same group as other
isolationist and nativist movements around the world".
Justifying his support for the
bill, he said: "I lost the case. I made it with passion, I sacrificed my
position in Government for it and in the end we have to now accept that in a
democracy the majority has spoken.
"Whilst I am a passionate
believer in an open, internationalist, free-trading Britain, I'm also a
passionate believer in Britain as a democracy."
But his role in the Remain
campaign was criticised by the SNP's Alex Salmond who went on to accuse fellow
MPs of being "gripped by collective madness".
"The right honourable member
for Rushcliffe (Ken Clarke) yesterday compared it to Alice in Wonderland,"
he said.
"But Alice only took herself
into the hole. This Prime Minister is taking virtually all of the Tory Party,
half the Labour Party and the entire country into the hole.
"It is politically crazy,
what is being done."
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron,
who had been mocked by MPs for claiming to be the official Brexit opposition
but had missed much of Tuesday's debate, warned against a "Government
stitch-up".
Calling for another vote on the
final divorce settlement he said: "Both the Labour frontbench and the
Conservatives don't want to give the British people their say; they think they
know better.
"It is an arrogance. It is
anti-democratic."
A new member of the House, Dr
Caroline Johnson who was elected in last month’s by-election in Sleaford and
North Hykeham announced her support for Article 50 triggering.
"I was brought up to believe
that a good democracy is ruled by the majority with protection for
minorities," she said
"As I talked to my
constituents I increasingly understand that they perceive we are ruled by a
vocal, minority elite, who are disregarding the views of the majority - and
they're angry."
Arguably the most inventive
speech came from the SNP's Hannah Bardell, who said she was inspired after
watching Trainspotting 2.
"Choose Brexit. Choose
making up numbers and plastering them against buses. Choose racist sentiment.
Choose race crime rising. Choose taking the people of our nations to the polls
with nothing written down and no plan."
She concluded: "These are
not the choices Scottish people made."
The Government will today publish
its white paper setting out its strategy for EU withdrawal.
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