January Brexit Update

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Over the past few months, the Parliamentary agenda has been dominated by debates on the Government’s EU (Withdrawal) Bill which covers not whether Brexit should take place. Rather it covers the terms on which Brexit should be approached by the Government, including how environmental and other protections, together with UK citizen’s rights and freedoms that are currently guaranteed by EU legislation, can be converted into UK law following Brexit.  It is a highly controversial piece of legislation because of the way Government Ministers have tried to use the Bill to take more power for themselves at the expense of scrutiny by elected MPs and the public.

Despite the deficiencies in the Bill which led me and other Opposition MPs to support amendments to it, the Bill completed its House of Commons stages this month. It now goes to the House of Lords for further consideration before coming back to the Commons – probably around May.

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Richard Burden

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I was Labour Member of Parliament for Birmingham Northfield between 1992 and 2019 and a former Shadow Transport Minister. I now chair Healthwatch in Birmingham and Solihull, and the West Midlands Board of Remembering Srebrenica. I also work as a public affairs consultant. I am an effective community advocate and stakeholder alliance builder with a passion for human rights. I am a trustee of the Balfour Project charity and of Citizens Advice Birmingham, and a former Chair of Medical Aid for Palestinians.

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You can reach me by email at richard@richardburden.com or use the form on the Contact page to send me a message.