May delays her withdrawal bill

Primister Minster Theresa May’s Brexit withdrawal bill will not be published or debated until early June, the government says.

During Primister Minster’s question time at the house of Commons on Wednesday 22 May, she had said the Withdrawal Agreement Bill – the legislation needed to implement the agreement between the UK and EU – would be published on Friday (24 May) so MPs would have “the maximum possible time to study its detail”.

After Andrea Leadsom quit as Commons Leader last night (22 May), saying she could not announce the bill which had “new elements that I fundamentally oppose”. Today it was announced that the publication of the bill will be delayed.

Standing in for her, government whip Mark Spencer told MPs: “We will update the House on the publication and introduction of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill on our return from the Whitsun recess.”

He added that the government planned to publish the bill in the first week of June.

“We had hoped to hold second reading on Friday 7 June,” he added.

“At the moment, we have not secured agreement to this in the usual channels. Of course we will update the House when we return from recess.”