Peers aim to cut ministers’ powers over Brexit bill

Parliament should be given just 10 days in which to overturn any proposal made by ministers for changes in the European Union withdrawal bill, according to a House of Lords committee.

The House of Lords Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee found ministers to have “excessively wide law-making power” in its third report on the EU withdrawal bill, published on 28 September.

The upper hand should go to parliament, not ministers, to decide how much scrutiny the secondary legislation of the bill should undergo. The report suggested that members of the two chambers, or a joint committee involving both MPs and peers, should have overarching control over the bill to ensure the requirements of parliament and the business needs of government are met.