Case study The Internal Market Bill

MPs and peers  were at loggerheads over the UK Internal Market Bill (Developments in devolution) government plans to regulate trade between the four nations of the UK after Brexit.

MPs voted down changes to the Internal Market Bill which would have given Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland a greater say over UK trading rules.

The government was  defeated 14 times on this bill, and by overturning the Lords' latest changes, it will continue to "ping-pong" - the term used when legislation goes back and forth between the Commons and Lords as they reject each others' changes.

The bill returned from the House of Commons with previous Lords amendments rejected but with a new set of changes proposed by the government (PDF) in their place. Members debated and agreed to these new changes. 

The United Kingdom Internal Market Bill 2019-21 finally completed its ping pong stage and received Royal Assent, following the acceptance by both Houses of Parliament of a government amendment addressing the relationship between the Bill and the common frameworks programme.