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Brexit: George Osborne warns of 'constitutional crisis' if Article 50 blocked Osborne says economy not government's Brexit priority
(about 3 hours later)
A "deep constitutional crisis" would be caused if MPs vote against triggering Brexit, former chancellor George Osborne has warned. The government has chosen not to make the economy the priority in the forthcoming Brexit negotiations, according to George Osborne.
Mr Osborne said rejecting the government's Article 50 bill could "pit Parliament against people". The ex-chancellor said he respected the decision to prioritise immigration controls and withdrawal from the European Court of Justice instead.
He was speaking as MPs began a second day of debating the draft legislation that will allow formal talks to begin.He was speaking as MPs began a second day of debating the draft legislation that will allow formal talks to begin.
Downing Street said: "The former chancellor speaks for himself."
The government is expected to win the vote later, with most Tory and Labour MPs set to back its bill.The government is expected to win the vote later, with most Tory and Labour MPs set to back its bill.
Mr Osborne said he had "passionately" campaigned for a Remain vote in the EU referendum and had sacrificed his position in government for the cause. If the bill is passed, Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, triggering formal Brexit talks, can be invoked.
But he said for Parliament not to allow Article 50 to be invoked would "alienate people who already feel alienated". Mr Osborne said the Government had chosen "not to make the economy the priority in this negotiation, they have prioritised immigration control", while the EU's priority will be to "maintain the integrity of the remaining 27 members of the European Union".
He predicted the talks with the EU would be bitter, and a trade-off between "access and money".He predicted the talks with the EU would be bitter, and a trade-off between "access and money".
He said the government has chosen "not to make the economy a priority", instead prioritising immigration control and removing European legislation in order to make the British Parliament sovereign. Mr Osborne said he had "passionately" campaigned for a Remain vote in the EU referendum and had sacrificed his position in government for the cause.
Speaking during Prime Minister's Questions, Theresa May confirmed a White Paper setting out her Brexit strategy would be published on Thursday. But he said for Parliament not to allow Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to be invoked would "alienate people who already feel alienated" and could cause a "deep constitutional crisis".
The official document, which will include a desire to secure the status of EU nationals in the UK and Britons abroad, is separate to the Brexit bill which will allow Mrs May to begin formal talks by triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. Earlier MPs were told that European Commission chiefs plan to ask the UK to pay up to 60bn euros for its separation from the EU.
The vote, which will follow two days of parliamentary debate, is expected at about 19:00 GMT. Sir Ivan Rogers, the UK's former ambassador to the EU, told a Commons committee the commission's chief negotiator Michel Barnier and other key figures were "openly" saying the UK's total financial liabilities would be in the order of 40 to 60bn euros.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn faces a rebellion by some on his side, while the SNP and Liberal Democrats are also promising to oppose ministers. He said the "unreasonable" figure represented a "predictably hard line".
In other Brexit news, Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed a White Paper setting out her Brexit strategy would be published on Thursday.
The official document, which will include a desire to secure the status of EU nationals in the UK and Britons abroad, is separate to the Brexit bill being debated by MPs.
The vote on the bill is expected at about 19:00 GMT.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn faces a rebellion by a number of his MPs, including several frontbenchers, while the SNP and Liberal Democrats are also promising to oppose ministers.
Mr Corbyn has imposed a three-line whip - the strongest possible sanction - on his MPs to back the bill, which is only two lines long.Mr Corbyn has imposed a three-line whip - the strongest possible sanction - on his MPs to back the bill, which is only two lines long.
Two shadow ministers have quit Labour's front bench in order to oppose the bill, while MPs Stephen Timms and Lyn Brown told the Commons they would also vote against it.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry defended the leadership's stance, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme that while the party believed in the EU, "we believe more strongly than anything else about democracy".
Although it will support the final vote on the bill, Labour will first try to amend it, including calling for a "meaningful vote" on the final Brexit deal.
"If Theresa May loses face because she has got the wrong deal that doesn't have the support of Parliament - tough," Ms Thornberry added.
A government source said up to 30 Labour MPs were expected to defy Mr Corbyn.
If the vote goes the government's way, the bill will return to the Commons next week for the committee stage, when opposition parties will try to push through a series of amendments.If the vote goes the government's way, the bill will return to the Commons next week for the committee stage, when opposition parties will try to push through a series of amendments.
The bill was published last week, after the Supreme Court decided MPs and peers must have a say before Article 50 could be triggered.The bill was published last week, after the Supreme Court decided MPs and peers must have a say before Article 50 could be triggered.
It rejected the government's argument that Mrs May had sufficient powers to trigger Brexit without consulting Parliament.It rejected the government's argument that Mrs May had sufficient powers to trigger Brexit without consulting Parliament.