Constitutional lawyers in the United Kingdom, as well as the policymakers, are debating on the role of the parliament in the Brexit negotiations that is set to begin before March next year. In a referendum on June 23rd, British people voted in favor of an exit from the Union but that referendum was non-binding. So the role of the government becomes more crucial, they can choose whether to pursue Brexit or not. They also get to choose what kind of negotiations they are looking for. That makes the current government very powerful as it gets to decide the fate of the United Kingdom in the coming future. Naturally, parliamentarians want a piece of that action too.

 Prime Minister May has suggested that the United Kingdom would invoke Article 50 by next year and she would not give a running commentary of the happenings as it would weaken British bargaining position. She agreed that the parliament can debate on the Brexit negotiations but would not have the power to vote on the direction of the talks. So far she has sounded to prefer a hard Brexit with tough negotiating position. While there has been a lot of outcry against that, we believe that it is the right point to start. Those who oppose must remember that it is a negotiation. So, it’s best to begin tough. Nobody needs to sell Britain short.

However, parliamentarians are not satisfied with the government and they are looking for more information on government’s stance on negotiations. So far, 30 parliamentary select committees have been formed, with each seeking more information from the government.

In addition to that, the High court of the UK would soon decide, whether the government needs parliamentary approval to trigger Article 50 or not.

So, as you can see, the question we posed in the heading, still remains unanswered as all the parties trying their best to make themselves relevant in the process.