The UK House of Lords [official website] passed an amendment [text] to the EU Notification of Withdrawal Bill [Text, PDF] Tuesday that gives the Parliament the ability to approve the negotiations of the UK’s exit from the EU. The upper house also rejected [vote record] another amendment that would have required a national referendum vote to approve an agreement between the UK and the EU regarding the terms of the exit. The EU Notification of Withdrawal Bill gives the prime minster the ability to formally start the process of exiting the EU. The bill now returns to the House of Commons so that the amendments can be considered by the lower house. The Brexit minister, David Davis, has stated [Reuters report] that they will seek to overturn the amendment in the House of Commons.

The House of Commons approved [JURIST report] the bill without the amendment in early February. Uncertainty about when and how the UK will leave the EU has been widespread. Last week judges for the UK High Court dismissed a suit [JURIST report] that claimed members of parliament should be allowed to vote on whether Britain will leave the European Economic Area [official website]. A majority of UK voters expressed their desire to leave the EU [JURIST report] in June, leading to the resignation of former prime minster David Cameron.