South West Devon Conservative MP Gary Streeter has been asked by the Speaker of the House of Commons to help chair the pivotal EU Withdrawal Bill as it is debated by Parliament over the next few months.
Gary Streeter has been a member of the panel of chairs at Westminster for some years, in the past chairing several contentious pieces of legislation as they are scrutinised by MPs, line by line. Every Bill of Parliament is studied in this way, usually upstairs in a committee room, chaired by an experienced MP.
The Brexit Bill which will take several months to be debated will largely be discussed on the floor of the House of Commons, as it is of constitutional significance. Mr Streeter is one of four long-standing MPs who have been selected to oversee this bill, two Conservatives and two Labour.
“I am delighted to have been asked to chair the proceedings of this momentous bill,” said the South West Devon MP, “as it will place me at the heart of historic legislation. It is likely to be both fascinating and gruelling in equal measure. It will mean me being at Westminster more over the next few months than in recent years.”
By long-standing custom, MPs who chair bills cannot vote on any part of the bill, or speak on it.
“My urgent task is to read and understand the very technical bill in great detail as well as learn the names of the new MPs elected in June!” said Mr Streeter as he began preparations for this marathon task.