I’m watching you! May
THERESA May dramatically confronted unelected peers yesterday over a plot to delay Brexit, as she became the first Prime Minister in years to attend a Lords debate.
The Prime Minister sat on the steps before the royal throne in the Upper House as peers started to debate the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill.
Earlier she said on a visit to the Emma Bridgewater factory in Stoke ahead of Thursday’s by-election: “Properly there will be debate and scrutiny in the House of Lords, but I don’t want to see anybody holding up what the British people want, what the people of Stoke-on-Trent voted for last year, which is for us to deliver Brexit.”
However, despite the elected Commons overwhelmingly backing the Bill unamended, peers yesterday made it clear that they intend to do what they can to delay the process.
Labour’s shadow leader of the Lords Baroness Smith led the Remainer charge, claiming “it is a constitutional responsibility” to make the Commons think again about aspects of the Bill.
Labour intends to push two amendments which appeared to enjoy wide support across the House on giving Parliament a “significant vote” at the end of the negotiations.
Such a move could see Britain stuck in the EU and guaranteeing the rights of its citizens while Britons living in the EU are unprotected. The amendments are likely to be rejected by the Commons but could delay Mrs May from triggering Article 50 at the next European Council meeting.
Baroness Smith also said Remainers should be involved in the Brexit negotiations. She said: “The process of Brexit cannot be run solely by those that have no doubt. It has to engage those that fear the worst and will work for the best.”
The Lords’ bias was underlined by the fact that the first Brexit supporter to speak was the ninth – Lord Stevens of Ludgate.
The Ukip peer said Mrs May “should be congratulated” for “honouring” the referendum result.
But he said the UK needed to exit as quickly as possible because of the bloc’s financial position.
He said: “Do we really want to remain in the EU for the next two years? Is it worth the risk? Even the poor old International Monetary Fund – which gets practically every forecast wrong but maybe not this time – says Greece’s debts are on an explosive path and the IMF appears unwilling to fund further bailouts.”
He added: “The Government can try for all the best reasons which one may admire to negotiate but to get agreement from all 27 countries will be in my view impossible let alone the European Parliament. It would have been better to bite the bullet and get out before the house of cards comes tumbling down.”
Lord Lawson, the 18th peer and only the second Brexit supporter to speak, warned that any attempt to change or slow down the Bill would cause a constitutional crisis.
He said: “Were the House to entertain any of these [amendments] it would have embarked on an illadvised, improper and fundamentally unconstitutional manoeuvre.”
Former foreign secretary and Tory