British MPs back Theresa May's Brexit timetable

Britain's parliament has backed Theresa May's motion to start Brexit proceedings by March next year

8 December 2016, 8:27am

2 min read

Labour's motion and the government's amendment both passed easily (Photo: BBC)

British MPs have voted to back the government's plan to start formal talks on Brexit by the end of March next year.

On Wednesday 461 lawmakers voted in favour of supporting Theresa May's Brexit timetable, while 89 voted against the motion.

The Prime Minister now has the Parliament's backing to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, formally launching Brexit proceedings, by March 31, 2017.

The vote was pushed by the opposition Labour Party, which tried to force May to publish more details of her strategy before invoking Article 50.

May has come under pressure from MPs, businesses and investors to set out at least a broad picture of how she sees Britain's future relationship with the EU. She has said giving too much away could weaken Britain's hand in the country's most important negotiations since World War Two.

MPs voted by 448 to 75 to support a motion calling on the government to offer up its Brexit plan, but also backed the government's timetable to trigger the divorce procedure by the end of March.

During the six-hour debate, the Labour Party pressed its motion for a plan setting out the government's negotiating stance in its talks with the bloc, before Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty is invoked to start the exit process.

But by agreeing to the government's demand for parliament to endorse May's timetable for Article 50, Labour MPs were accused of falling into a trap; allowing ministers to begin the divorce without consultation.

May published an amendment effectively accepting the motion, while also proposing that Wednesday's debate should also be on whether lawmakers "respect the wishes" of the British people to leave the EU.

"The focus is now where it should be: on the terms upon which we exit the EU," Labour's Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said in a statement released Wednesday ahead of the vote.

"Labour have consistently said that we will not frustrate or delay the process of triggering Article 50. Therefore Labour will accept the government's amendment," Starmer said.