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Gina Miller demands changes to Brexit Bill to allow MPs final say

Gina Miller demands changes to Brexit Bill to allow MPs final say

Gina Miller has demanded MPs have a “meaningful” vote on the final outcome of Brexit negotiations.

The businesswoman, best known for successfully challenging the Government’s right to take Britain out of the European Union without parliamentary approval, said it was Parliament’s “sovereign duty” to sign off on a final Brexit deal.

Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Ms Miller backed Tory peer Lord Heseltine’s call for the EU (Withdrawal Notification) Bill to be amended to include a provision for Parliament to debate the final exit deal.

The House of Lords will continue its debate on the so-called Brexit Bill next week with many peers likely to vote for key amendments such as the right for Parliament to vote on the final deal and a clause to guarantee rights of EU nationals already in the UK.

But responding to Ms Miller’s comments on the show Conservative commentator Tim Montgomerie said her proposition risked “unpicking the vote of the people” saying Parliament should "respect what people decided".

In the debate on the programme Mr Montgomerie said: “I wasn’t ever David Cameron’s number one fan but he said very clearly before the referendum there won’t be a second vote this is the one time we will make a decision on Europe and then the decision was taken and we can’t keep revisiting it.”

Ms Miller responded: “This is not about the vote for the people, this is about Parliament doing its sovereign duty.

Mr Montgomerie continued: “This is Parliament potentially unpicking the vote of the people and that is incredibly dangerous.”

Ms Miller fired back: “Why are you so frightened of Parliament having this debate?”

To which Mr Montgomerie said: “I don’t mind Parliament having the debate, but ultimately parliament should respect what people decided on 23rd June.”

Ms Miller’s comments come as Tory grandee Lord Heseltine said he would rebel against Theresa May over Brexit ensuring that Parliament had the final say on what he described as “the defining issue of our time.”

Writing in The Mail on Sunday he said Labour, Liberal Democrat and rebellious Tory colleagues ready to back a change to the Brexit Bill simply want to uphold the Supreme Court's ruling that MPs and peers have ultimate authority.

He wrote: "In the end the outcome of Brexit will have to be confirmed by Parliament.

"It will also have to pass in 27 national European parliaments, several sub-national parliaments and the European Parliament.

"It was perhaps unwise for our Government to suppose that our Parliament should be excluded where all others were included.

"Very sensibly, after the Supreme Court interpreted the law, that position was reversed and Parliament was restored to its rightful constitutional role as the ultimate authority.

"I will vote in the House of Lords to ensure that position is legally intact.”

Ms Miller's comments caused a furore online with social media users battling it out on Twitter.

Some said they were "full of admiration" for Ms Miller with many describing her as "brave" and "intellignet".

But others were less sympathetic accusing her of trying to "silence the voices of 17 million people."