Labour peers cry ‘shame’ at Corbyn’s role in Brexit Bill vote

LABOUR peers lined up to criticise Jeremy Corbyn over Brexit as it emerged that 20 Labour members of the House of Lords are set to defy his wishes.

Former advisers to Tony Blair and Ed Miliband who now sit in the House of Lords attacked Mr Corbyn for not doing more to frustrate Labour MPs in the House of Commons.

Some 20 Labour peers are now expected to vote with the Liberal Democrats, rebel Tory peers and crossbenchers to amend the EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill, which will trigger the start of Brexit talks once it has cleared Parliament.

The Bill was set to clear the first stage in the Lords last night after a two-day debate, involving more than 180 speakers, that allowed amendments to be debated over the next two weeks.

Lord Liddle, a former special adviser on European matters to Tony Blair, blamed the party’s “debilitation” for Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union.

He said: “We have a leader who, unlike the vast majority of Labour members, including many of those who joined up in order to support him, has never been a European true believer.

“And in the referendum he failed the key test of democratic politics, which is to cut through media cynicism and the mass of seething public discontents with a compelling and positive case for Europe which forced voters to listen.

“And now I see no clarion call for the fight, only a three-line whip in the Commons to force Labour MPs to troop through the lobbies alongside a Rightwing Tory Government dancing to Iain Duncan Smith’s tune.”

His words were met with agreeing murmurs and a shout of “shame” from fellow Labour peers.

Lord Livermore, a former adviser to Mr Blair, said: “I have great humility about the outcome of the referendum and about the unelected nature of this House, but if we sincerely believe the course we are on will do untold damage to our country, we have a duty whether elected or unelected to say so, to oppose it and to tell the truth.

“I believe that working people’s lives will be made worse by this Bill. I believe that those who voted for Brexit in the greatest numbers will be those that suffer the most from the outcome.”