London — British MPs on Wednesday approved the first stage of a bill empowering Prime Minister Theresa May to start pulling Britain out of the EU. MPs approved the bill, which would allow the government to trigger Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty and formally begin two years of exit negotiations, by a margin of 498 to 114. It was the first Brexit-related vote in the House of Commons, coming after more than 17 hours of debate, with a second and final vote in the lower house set for next week. The opposition Labour party ordered MPs not block the bill, but 47 rebelled against leader Jeremy Corbyn. He is yet to announce how he will respond to front-benchers and other legislators who refused to tow the party line. MPs on Wednesday also voted on a Scottish National Party (SNP) amendment seeking to derail the Brexit bill, defeating it by 336 votes to 100. May is under intense pressure to push the bill through quickly, having promised EU leaders she would trigger Article 50 by the end ...
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