In this contribution, Lord Bilimoria expressed his support for the amendment proposed by Lord Lisvane. He continued by stating that he supported the amendment primarily because he felt that the balance between the Executive and the legislature has been truly tested. Further, he explained that this started with the Government trying to bypass Parliament in implementing Article 50, and then trying to not give Parliament a meaningful vote.  Lord Bilimoria argued that we have to make sure that the power comes back to Parliament.

Lord Bilimoria :

My Lords, briefly, I support the amendment of my noble friend Lord Lisvane who, with his vast experience, has come up with a suggestion that is essential, primarily because I feel that the balance between the Executive and the legislature has been truly tested during these Brexit times. This started with the Government trying to bypass Parliament in implementing Article 50, and then trying to not give Parliament a meaningful vote. At every stage, we have to make sure that the power comes back to Parliament.

The noble Lord, Lord Sharkey, said that the Government estimate that there will be 800 statutory instruments just as a result of the EU withdrawal Bill. How many statutory instruments does the Minister think that there will be in total, as a result of Brexit? I have heard somebody say 2,000, but there may be even more than that. It is therefore all the more important that we have proper scrutiny. We cannot entrust it to the Executive; Parliament has got to have the power, and I support my noble friend Lord Lisvane’s amendment.

Comments are closed.

Post Navigation