UK controversy: Can the prime minister negotiate any Brexit agreement she wants or

does she need parliamentary approval of either the negotiating strategy or the final agreement?

Theresa May 'acting like Tudor monarch' by denying MPs a Brexit vote

The Daily Telegraph reported that May had been told by government lawyers that she did not need parliamentary approval to trigger the procedure, but it is believed that the prime minister could face legal challenges over the decision.

Owen Smith, who is challenging Jeremy Corbyn for the leadership of the Labour party, suggested May would avoid a parliamentary debate because there was not sufficient support for Brexit. “Theresa May is clearly running scared from parliamentary scrutiny of her Brexit negotiations,” he said. “She’s looked at the numbers and she knows she might not win a vote in parliament.

“She hasn’t set out what Brexit means and she doesn’t want to be held to account on vital issues such as stripping away workers’ rights and environmental safeguards.”

Smith said that if he was to become the opposition leader, he would “press for whatever final deal she, Boris Johnson, Liam Fox and David Davis come up with” to be put to the British people, either in a second referendum or at a general election.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/aug/27/theresa-may-acting-like-tudor-monarch-in-denying-mps-a-vote-over-brexit