Rebel lords told: You are playing with fire on Brexit

rEMAINEr peers were warned they were ‘playing with fire’ last night after they inflicted a crushing defeat on the Government over Brexit.

Labour, Lib Dem and crossbench lords joined rebel Tories to pass an amendment on the EU customs union.

They won by 348 votes to 225 – a majority of 123. A total of 24 Conservatives, including former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine, former health secretary Lord Lansley and former minister Lord Willetts voted against the whip.

The amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill compels ministers to explore the option of remaining in the customs union.

It will not force Britain to stay in the customs union and ministers downplayed its significance.

But it will be seen as a sign of bruising battles to come in the Lords over Brexit.

Proposing the amendment, crossbench peer Lord Kerr of Kinlochard, a former head of the Foreign Office, argued that Britain did not vote to leave the customs union in the referendum.

Lord Kerr said: ‘The country voted narrowly to leave the European Union, but no one can argue that it voted knowingly to leave the customs union with the European Union.’ The amendment was backed by all the former heads of the civil service sitting in the upper house – former cabinet secretaries Lords Armstrong, Butler, Wilson, Turnbull and O’Donnell.

However, former Tory cabinet minister Lord Forsyth said the change being sought in relation to the customs union was ‘an attempt to create division and confusion’ in the House of Commons in a bid to block

‘Refuse to accept the verdict’

Brexit. He said it was seeking to make the UK’s withdrawal from the bloc ‘subject to some conditions about a customs union’, and warned the amendments put forward in the unelected chamber were ‘putting the peers against the people’.

‘What is going on here is an exercise by remainers in the House who refuse to accept the verdict of the British people and I believe they are playing with fire,’ he added.