West Ham’s MP has voted against the government’s European Union Bill which was passed by 498 votes to 114 yesterday.
Lyn Brown was one of 47 Labour rebels, including East Ham MP Stephen Timms, who ignored a party imposed three-line whip to support the legislation.
She said: “The Bill I voted against last night will give the Government the ability to start an irreversible process over which neither MPs nor the public will have real control. Last year West Ham voted to Remain.
“What I voted against last night was Theresa May’s plan for our future, not yours or mine.
“The signs are that we are heading towards a destructive Tory Brexit that will harm the people of West Ham greatly. And despite what the Brexiteers said before the referendum, we will be out of the single market, out of the customs union, and there will be even less money, not £350 million more, for the NHS.
“It will reduce living standards, destroy opportunities, and put up barriers between friends and loved ones. I could not, in good conscience, give my permission for the Tory Government to take us down that wrong and dangerous road.”
Ahead of the vote, she tweeted: “Stonking speech by @EmmaLewellBuck: Brexit, her dad, the under cutting of his wages and our failure to tell people about benefits of the EU.”
The bill will now face further debate before it can become law. An official policy document setting out the plans for Brexit is expected to be published later today.
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