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Very important point: if May’s deal goes through, a priority for MPs must be to force the Govt to consult and get agreement on its negotiating objectives for the next stage and to report/consult as negotiations proceed.
Not just with MPs but also the devolved Parliaments and those U.K. economic/sectoral interests in whose behalf the Govt will be negotiating.
I’d suggest an amendment to that effect to the meaningful vote backed up by legislation in the form of an amendment to the implementation Bill.
And legislation will be needed given the Govt’s determination to date to resist any such approach and the feebleness of current scrutiny mechanisms in eg CRAG.
PS those MPs on the right of politics would do well to read and absorb the advice of Stephen Harper, former Canadian PM and widely admired by conservatives, on precisely this point. telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/0…
Consultation and consensus aren’t a mark of weakness that undermine effective trade negotiations: on the contrary, they are the essential precondition for strong and effective negotiations.
That point applies equally to future negotiations with the EU and with future FTA partners.
