Many UK lawmakers signal they’ll back govt’s Brexit bill
LONDON — Dozens of British lawmakers said Tuesday that they will vote to authorize the start of European Union exit talks — signalling likely victory for the government on the vote it had fought in court to avoid.
The House of Commons began a two-day debate on a bill that lets Prime Minister Theresa May trigger two years of divorce negotiations, as the government races to meet a self-imposed March 31 deadline to begin the process.
The government was forced to introduce legislation after a Supreme Court ruling last week torpedoed May’s effort to start the process of leaving the 28-nation bloc without a parliamentary vote.
The government argues that British voters decided to leave the EU in a June 23 referendum, and no further authorization is needed.