Lord warns over ‘blundering’ into politics of Northern Ireland

The Government has slumped to a 10th defeat over flagship Brexit legislation in the Lords as peers backed a move aimed at preventing a hard border being imposed between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Voting was 309 to 242, majority 67, for a cross-party amendment to the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill also enshrining support for the Good Friday peace agreement and continued “North-South” cooperation.

Tory former Cabinet minister Lord Patten of Barnes warned against going back to the “old animosities” and “old feuds” in Northern Ireland post-Brexit.

Lord Patten said it would be “shameful and dishonourable” and a “stain on our history” if the Lords did anything to make that more likely.

Recalling the years of violence which had left thousands dead and many others maimed during the Troubles, he said: “We cannot possibly want to risk going back to that.” Lord Patten turned on those who had warned the Lords was “playing with fire” by amending the Bill, saying: “I’ll tell you what I think playing with fire is. It’s blundering into the politics of Northern Ireland with a policy which is sometimes clueless and sometimes delinquent – with a can of petrol and a box of matches in the other hand.

“I don’t want to go back to the old humiliations, the old animosities, the old feuds. It would be shameful and dishonourable if this House was to do anything which made that more likely.”

However, there was criticism of the move from senior Northern Ireland politicians, including Tory peer and former first minister of Northern Ireland Lord Trimble, who argued that Brexit would not damage the Good Friday agreement, but the amendment would “because it excludes the people of Northern Ireland”.

I don’t want to go back to the old... feuds