Yorkshire MPs set to rebel in crucial vote on EU Withdrawal Bill

Rother Valley MP Sir Kevin Barron and Don Valley MP Caroline Flint have both refused to vote against the Bill, with the latter warning any attempt to "kill" the legislation "would cause huge problems" for the Brexit process.

Their decision is a blow for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has set a three-line whip for tonight's vote due to concerns about a Government "power grab".

And with Tory critics of the Bill expected to support it through to the next stage the chances of a Government defeat are looking increasingly slim.

Ms Flint has previously warned her fellow Labour MPs against trying to "delay the inevitable" with Brexit, suggesting that this could be seen as an attempt to defy the result of last year's EU referendum.

Explaining her decision to abstain on tonight's vote, she told the BBC's Today programme that Parliament should "get on with the job of making sure we can have as smooth an exit from the European Union as possible"

"I have to make a decision on this, and these decisions aren’t easy. I have never broken the whip at all but I do believe that in respecting the outcome of the referendum, in respecting what I said to my electors in a general election just a few months ago," she said.

"If we were to vote this bill down, if we were to somehow get the votes tonight to kill it, it would cause huge problems. It would end the session of Parliament, we’d probably have to prorogue, and they would have to come back with a new bill.

“I don’t believe that affecting that is what the British public want. I think they want us to make sure that we deal with the complexities of this, that we recognise that at the end of the day there will have to be compromises on all sides, whether people voted leave or remain."

Sir Kevin confirmed his decision on Twitter, claiming that a vote against the Bill "would be a contradiction of the promises I was elected on, only a few months ago".

"In my letter sent before the Article 50 vote in January I promised not to block or delay any legislation related to our exit from the EU. I repeated this promise in much of my election literature," he said in a further statement.

"I will carry on pressuring the Government to ensure that we achieve a deal that is good for the people of Rother Valley and Britain as a whole."

The purpose of the EU Withdrawal Bill is to transfer European Union legislation into UK law to avoid a legal and regulatory cliff-edge on the day that Britain leaves the trading bloc.

Critics of the Bill have expressed concern about the use of so-called Henry VIII clauses which potentially grant the Government the power to make hundred of changes to British laws without having to pass a new act through Parliament.

Labour, the SNP, the Lib Dems and the Greens are all expected to oppose the Bill in tonight's vote. But there are reports that up to a dozen Labour MPs could rebel and vote for the Bill, with more potentially abstaining.

Lib Dem Brexit spokesman Tom Brake has urged Jeremy Corbyn to sack any rebels from the frontbenches.

He said: "The chance to inflict a historic defeat against the Government's hard Brexit plans rests on whether Jeremy Corbyn can show leadership and keep his party united.

"Corbyn must show the same ruthlessness towards his pro-Brexit MPs as he has to pro-European ones in the past."

Although Tory backbenchers Dominic Grieve, Anna Soubry and Ken Clarke have all criticised the Bill in its current form, they have indicated they will vote in favour of its second reading in order to allow for further amendments.

Brexit Secretary David Davis last night warned that a vote against the Bill "is a vote for a chaotic exit from the European Union".

"The British people did not vote for confusion and neither should Parliament," he said.

“Providing certainty and stability in the lead up to our withdrawal is a key priority. Businesses and individuals need reassurance that there will be no unexpected changes to our laws after exit day and that is exactly what the Repeal Bill provides.

“That’s why I’m urging all MPs of all parts of the UK to come together in support of this crucial legislation so that we can leave the European Union safe in the knowledge that we are ready for day one of exit.”