As Shadow Brexit Minister, yesterday I defended five crucial Lord Amendments to the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB).

These changes were important. One amendment would have made it easier for unaccompanied child refugees to join family members in the UK, while another would have made life easier for EU citizens living here. Several others were important for our constitution, safeguarding the independence of the courts and the powers of Welsh and Scottish governments. Tragically, the government voted them down.

The Prime Minister says we should trust him, that some of these matters will be dealt with in other legislation. But why should we trust him? The Prime Minister has changed his mind many times, on many things. As lawmakers, we trust in the rule of law.

I argued for these changes to the WAB two weeks ago. When the Bill came back from the House of Lords, the government had a second chance to put this right. Instead they chose to vote down all amendments. The Withdrawal Bill becomes law today.

You can watch my full speech here: https://bit.ly/2t3xiqu

Government votes down child refugee protections in EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill

As Shadow Brexit Minister, yesterday I defended five crucial Lord Amendments to the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB). These changes were important. One amendment would have made it easier for unaccompanied child refugees to join family members in the UK, while another would have made life easier for EU citizens living here. Several others were important for our constitution, safeguarding the independence of the courts and the powers of Welsh and Scottish governments. Tragically, the government voted them down. The Prime Minister says we should trust him, that some of these matters will be dealt with in other legislation. But why should we trust him? The Prime Minister has changed his mind many times, on many things. As lawmakers, we trust in the rule of law.I argued for these changes to the WAB two weeks ago. When the Bill came back from the House of Lords, the government had a second chance to put this right. Instead they chose to vote down all amendments. The Withdrawal Bill becomes law today.

Posted by Thangam Debbonaire on Thursday, January 23, 2020

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