To vote against UK govt is to thwart EU referendum - minister

Reuters
Britain's Minister for Europe David Lidington speaks during the "Rome 2015 MED, Mediterranean dialogues" forum in Rome, Italy, December 10, 2015. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

LONDON (Reuters) - Any lawmaker who votes against the government in parliament on Wednesday will be voting to thwart the will of the British people who want to leave the European Union, government minister David Lidington said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Theresa May agreed on Tuesday to a demand for parliament to see her plan for Brexit before she triggers the formal divorce procedure but also added that the debate should also be on whether MPs "respect the wishes" expressed in June's EU referendum and on her timetable. "The vote tonight will be the first opportunity for members of this house to decide whether or not they support the government's timetable on triggering Article 50 by the end of March 2017," Lidington, the minister who manages government business in parliament, told MPs. "Any right honourable member who votes against that motion will, in my view, be seeking to thwart the outcome of the referendum in the most profoundly undemocratic manner.” (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Editing by Kylie MacLellan)