European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2019
The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2019, commonly referred to as the Cooper–Letwin Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made provisions for extensions to the period defined under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union related to the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. It was introduced to the House of Commons by Labour MP Yvette Cooper and Conservative MP Sir Oliver Letwin on 3 April 2019, in an unusual process where the Government of the United Kingdom did not have control over Commons business that day.
Not to be confused with European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 2) Act 2019, or European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020.Long title
An Act to make provision in connection with the period for negotiations for withdrawing from the European Union.
2019 c. 16
Yvette Cooper and Sir Oliver Letwin (Commons)
Baroness Hayter,
Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords (Lords)
United Kingdom
8 April 2019
8 April 2019
23 January 2020
The Act was repealed on 23 January 2020 by the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020.[1]
Provisions[edit]
Section 1 of the Act required the Government to allow Parliament to debate a motion to require the prime minister to seek an extension to the period in which the United Kingdom is to negotiate the terms of its withdrawal from the European Union ("Brexit") under Article 50(3) of the Treaty on European Union. The motion must have been moved on the day the Act received royal assent or on the next day, so 8 or 9 April 2019. If Parliament passed the motion then the prime minister was legally obliged to comply with it and seek an extension to a date chosen by Parliament (although the extension must still be agreed to by the EU).
Section 2 streamlined the procedure for amending UK law to reflect the new date for "exit day", the date on which the UK was to leave the EU.
Legislative history[edit]
House of Commons First and Second Readings[edit]
The Act was originally introduced to the House of Commons as the European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 5) Bill on 3 April 2019, on a day when some of the normal standing orders of the House were suspended to prevent Government business taking precedence over business that other Members of Parliament might wish to undertake. As such, Sir Oliver Letwin tabled a motion which would allow MPs to undertake proceedings on the second, committee, and third reading of the Bill in one day. The motion was passed by one vote.[2][3]
The UK government opposed the bill at all stages throughout its passing in the House of Commons and the House of Lords.[4] The second reading passed by 5 votes,[5][6] after closing remarks given by Steve Barclay, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, making clear the Government's opposition to the Bill.