THIS week sees the start of what will be a very long and challenging time in the Brexit process, as the EU (Withdrawal) Bill begins its way through committee stage.

This will see eight debates – two each week, each lasting up to eight hours – in which a number of proposed amendments will be heavily scrutinised.

The Prime Minister and Brexit Secretary have been clear that the purpose of this process is to strengthen the Bill by giving Parliament a chance to play its role in shaping debate and helping navigate the best course out of the EU.

I am glad that this will give Parliament the opportunity to debate many of the important details of the Bill, with learned colleagues providing their many years of experience to the constructive debate to make sure we get this important legislation right.

As well as this Bill, the Brexit Secretary has also announced a new Withdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill which will mean that citizens’ rights will be fully incorporated into UK law, and provide clarity that any financial settlement and details of an implementation period agreed between both sides, will be set out in legislation and approved by Parliament, providing the certainty that people and businesses have been calling for.

The debates and select committees on this are open to the public, and I would encourage anyone who is interested to come along and see democracy in action.

That is the message behind UK Parliament Week, which runs all this week and encourages people from across the UK to engage with Parliament, exploring what it means to them and empowering them to get involved.

With more than 4,000 events and activities and 4,500 organisations taking part, there are many opportunities to get involved, and I am glad that so many schools and groups in my Constituency are taking part.

I’m particularly excited to see all the Lego that has been popping up around Parliament, although they’ve had to be very strict that the Lego is for children only, not MPs!

Parliament is a special place, but that does not mean that it should be inaccessible, and it is important for people to feel like they can come and see and get involved in the people that they have elected to represent them. You can find more information about UK Parliament week here: https://www.ukparliamentweek.org/.