What the papers say: Article 50 debate, Brexit ‘fog’ and ‘looney Labourites’

After MPs voted last night to back the Government’s plan to invoke Article 50 by the end of March, the Guardian says it’s good news that Parliament is now finally using its powers to shape the Brexit process. The paper says it’s ‘extraordinary’ that so much time has passed since the referendum, given how there is still no ‘real clarity about the government’s general aims’ in upcoming negotiations. It says yesterday, however, ‘some fog began to lift’: ‘At last, the great issue of the UK’s future relations with Europe was finally being discussed where it matters most of all, in our elected parliament,’ the paper says. But despite the merits of having a debate, the Guardian says yesterday’s vote isn’t enough. It’s better than nothing, the paper concludes, but it’s still ‘not ideal’ – and Labour arguably let itself down by not pressing the Government to publish a white paper on Brexit next month.