Lib Dems draw lines in sand over EU Withdrawal Bill

The Liberal Democrats are fighting against attempts by the government to push through sweeping new powers in the EU Withdrawal Bill. Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake MP will table a reasoned amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill highlighting a number of problems with the current proposals, including a lack of proper legislation to the establishment of new regulation agencies. Instead of allowing for proper scrutiny by parliament to replace the numerous EU agencies in UK law, at the moment the replacements for bodies such as EURATOM and the European Medicines Agency will simply be created by secondary legislation, with little chance for MPs, industry bodies or experts to scrutinise proposals. Tom Brake MP, Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson, commenting ahead of the Second Reading of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill on Thursday said: “This Bill represents a major threat to the sovereignty of Parliament and no amount of tweaking and fiddling will make a silk purse of this sow’s ear. “The Liberal Democrats will fight to fix this Bill and if it is not changed we will vote against it at Second Reading. "In its current form the legislation denies parliament its centuries-old right to scrutinise bills and instead hands extreme powers to the government. "Far from taking back control, the Bill as it stands is an affront to democracy."