Britain’s main Opposition Labour Party said on Sunday that it would press for contempt proceedings against the government if Prime Minister Theresa May fails to produce the full legal advice she has received on her Brexit deal. The threat is yet another hurdle Ms. May must clear before Parliament votes on December 11 on her deal for Britain’s exit from the European Union.
Labour’s Brexit spokesman, Keir Starmer said that Labour would start contempt proceedings against the government if it did not publish its legal advice.
He also said Labour would seek a vote of no confidence in the government if she lost the vote, a widely forecast outcome. “In nine days time, Parliament has got to take probably the most important decision it has taken for a generation and it’s obviously important that we know the full legal implications of what the Prime Minister wants us to sign up to,” said Mr. Starmer.
“I don’t want to go down this path... (but) if they don’t produce it tomorrow then we will start contempt proceedings. This would be a collision course between the government and Parliament,” he told Sky News.
The government has promised to give MPs access to the legal analysis of the Brexit deal and Attorney-General Geoffrey Cox will make a statement to Parliament on Monday. Opposition parties suspect it will only offer a summary of that advice.