May will face pressure to amend EU (Withdrawal) Bill

Significance

The bill will now move to the next phase of the legislative process -- the committee stage -- before returning to the floor of parliament for another debate and vote.

Impacts

• The committee stage and subsequent debate will expose divisions over Brexit within the Conservatives and Labour.
• The fact that no Conservatives rebelled and voted against the bill will give the government confidence for future votes.
• If the bill is rejected and EU legislation no longer applies after Brexit, there will be legal chaos and uncertainty.
• The Scottish parliament is unlikely to approve the bill, and the independence movement could be boosted if London decides to ignore that.