Labour will force a binding vote in the House of Commons tomorrow
(Wednesday 31 January) requiring Ministers to publish the
Government’s economic assessments of different Brexit end states.
The motion will use the same ancient, but effective,
Parliamentary procedure that Labour successfully used to force
the Government to release the Brexit impact assessments to the
House of Commons’ Brexit Select Committee.
This procedure gives the House of Commons the power to require
Ministers to release Government papers to Parliament. Unlike
typical opposition day debates, the motion, if passed, will be
binding on the Government.
MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary
of State for Exiting the European Union, said:
“Once again Labour has been forced to use an archaic
parliamentary process to make ministers do the right thing.
“People voted to leave the European Union in part to give
Parliament control about its own future. That means giving MPs
the information they need to scrutinise the Government’s approach
to Brexit.
“Ministers cannot keep sidelining Parliament to hide the deep
divisions within their own party. They should accept this motion
and allow the country to have an informed debate about its
relationship with Europe after Brexit.”
Ends
Notes to editors
- The opposition day debate will take place on Wednesday 31
January.
- Labour’s motion, tabled on Tuesday, states:
Government’s EU Exit Analysis
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty,
That she will be graciously pleased to give directions
that the EU exit analysis which was referred to in
his response to an Urgent Question in the House on 30
January by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for
Exiting the European Union be provided
to the Exiting the European Union
Committee and made available to all Members on a
confidential basis as a matter of
urgency.
- Erskine May, the definitive rule book on the rules and
conventions of Parliament and the UK constitution, referring to
the wording of the motion chosen by Labour, says:
“Each House has the power to call for the production of
papers by means of a motion for a return. A return from the Privy
Council or from departments headed by a Secretary of State is
called for by means of an humble Address to the Sovereign; a
return from elsewhere, such as a department not headed by a
Secretary of State, is sought directly by means of an order of
the House.
“The power to call for papers was frequently exercised until
about the middle of the nineteenth century. It is rarely resorted
to in modern circumstances since much of the information
previously sought in this way is now produced in Command Papers
or in Act Papers, or in response to questions. However, the power
has a continuing importance since it is regularly delegated to
select committees, thus enabling them to send for papers and
records (see pp 818–819).
“In the Commons the procedure also survives in the form of
‘Motions for Unopposed Returns’ (see p 352) for particular
documents which the Minister responsible for the government
department concerned wishes to make public (hence they are
‘unopposed’) but in respect of which the protection of statute
afforded by an order of the House for printing or other
publication is sought.51 Certain annual returns are, by custom,
also presented to the House in the form of returns to
orders.52
“The power to send for papers by means of a motion for
unopposed return extends to papers which are in the possession of
Ministers or which Ministers have the authority to obtain. Papers
should be ordered only on subjects which are of public or
official character. In the case of a select committee with power
to send for papers and records there is no restriction on its
power to require the production of papers by private bodies or
individuals, provided that such papers are relevant to the
committee’s work as defined by its order of reference (see pp
805–806, 818–819).”
