VOTERS will "not forgive" the UK Government if it fails to offer a true meaningful vote on any Brexit deal, a former Conservative Minister has warned.
Anna Soubry raised the concerns despite assurances from Dominic Raab, the Brexit Secretary, that the Government hoped a motion on the agreement would be amendable.
MPs will have to vote on any agreement Theresa May brings back from Brussels with opposition parties and even some of the Prime Minister's allies warning that they might not back it, which would risk a no-deal Brexit.
Both Remainer and Brexiteer MPs have suggested that the vote on the legislation should be amendable so that changes could be made to either keep the UK closer to the EU or move it further away than the deal might allow.
Ms Soubry said it boiled down to a matter of trust; that MPs had trusted the Government that there would be a meaningful vote, stressing: “If the public think there's any breach of trust, they will not forgive this Government".
The nub of the row is that the Government wants amendments to be allowed only after the main motion on the Brexit deal is voted upon.
Later, Theresa May told MPs: “If you went out and asked members of the public what they think MPs should be voting on, they would say they expect MPs to be able to vote on the deal that the Government brings back from the EU.”
Mr Raab insisted the meaningful vote would be “of the very highest order” and stressed the need for a clear decision on the deal “so that we know whether we can proceed to implement it".
But his Tory colleague, Mr Grieve, said the Government’s position was “entirely unsatisfactory” as it departed from previous assurances that MPs would be able to “express a desire for alternatives when voting to reject or accept a deal".
Labour’s Chris Leslie was more blunt, saying Mr Raab had been “caught red-handed trying to stitch up Parliament again" by “trying to fix the arrangements so we have amendments coming after the motion”.
He added: “We fought very hard for this outcome and he shouldn't try to undermine or recant on that when it is MPs' duty to have that meaningful vote."
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