Brexit negotiations kept secret from Parliament does reclaim sovereignty from Brussels
First and foremost, I acknowledge this is a strange and unpopular view but seemed like an interesting mental exercise to pursue. The idea that, as announced by Secretary of State for Leaving the EU David Davis, “Until Article 50 is initiated and Britain officially begins the process of leaving the European Union, no news on Brexit negotiations will be disclosed to the public, MPs or peers – not even in private” could mean reclaiming sovereignty from Brussels, is one which may indeed hold some water.
A major part of why many chose to leave the EU was the argument that Brexit would help reclaim their sovereignty which was so selfishly taken from them when they joined the EU. The hypocrisy lies in the fact that the largest mandate in history is being done behind the backs of parliament. But is it really?
Sovereignty is understood in jurisprudence as the full right and power of a governing body to govern itself without any interference from outside sources or bodies. In reality however, nothing is truly sovereign. The Brexit negotiation provides us a move towards increased sovereignty but it cannot bring us to total sovereignty. The process itself is not a black box from beginning to end, simply that much of the confidentiality will be time-related. Information will be communicated late just not in advance. And such a process is a move away from all the red tape Brussels has placed on the UK, towards a sovereignty that resides principally in the House of Commons and in its ability, when given the opportunity, to inform and direct the government of the day. Moreover, the secrecy is a necessity as a running commentary would simply undermine the negotiating stance from the beginning, keeping in mind the negotiations are a means to an end (to be more sovereign) rather than an end in itself by sacrificing perceived sovereignty in the short run for a more absolute one in the long run.