Media: the house of lords is going to slow down a bill to start Brexit
LONDON, Feb 28 — RIA Novosti, Maria Tobacco. The house of lords (upper house) of the British Parliament on Wednesday will vote on the question of the status of European citizens living in the UK and is expected to require the government to immediately guarantee their rights.
Thus MPs will delay the process of passing through Parliament of the bill to start the procedure of withdrawal from the EU, according to British media, citing sources in the upper house.
Prime Minister Theresa may has repeatedly said that the government guarantees the status of European citizens in the UK only on the basis of the principle of reciprocity, i.e. only if the response from the EU against the British people living in continental Europe.
While in the house of Commons (the lower house of Parliament) a majority of parliamentarians — members of the ruling Conservative party and the government submitted a bill to launch the procedure Brexit have not met much resistance, in the house of lords for the Conservative party belong to only 252 of 800 peers. However, many members of the upper house of Parliament says that it received complaints from living in Britain, the Europeans, complaining that they are already experiencing difficulties, although Brexit has not yet begun.
As expected, the house of lords on the vote on Wednesday afternoon will favour the rights of Europeans were guaranteed immediately. If this really happens, the house of Commons will have to hold a second vote on the relevant amendment, which would delay the process of adoption of the bill and, accordingly, may prevent the government from time to start the process of exit from the EU until the end of March.
Next week is expected to another important vote. The lords can demand that the government’s promise to give the Parliament the opportunity to vote on the final agreements with the EU on the terms of a British exit from the EU became law.
The British people in a referendum in June last year voted to secede from the EU. In accordance with the decision of the Supreme court, the government submitted to Parliament a bill on the launch of the Brexit. To use the 50-th article of the Lisbon Treaty, withdrawal from the EU may going to the end of March.