Another Lords defeat on Brexit
Peers back plan to give Parliament a say
POLITICS: The Government last night suffered another defeat on the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill after peers backed plans to give Parliament a say on Britain’s mandate for Brexit talks.
An amendment led by Labour’s Lord Monks was supported by 270 votes to 233 in the House of Lords.
THE GOVERNMENT last night suffered another defeat on the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill after peers backed plans to give Parliament a say on Britain’s mandate for Brexit talks.
An amendment led by Labour’s Lord Monks and supported by a cross-party group of peers was supported by 270 votes to 233, majority 37.
Brexit Minister Lord Callanan said it was for the Government rather than Parliament to set the mandate for negotiations over the UK’s future relationship with the EU.
However, Labour indicated it was supporting the amendment.
It is the eighth defeat to be inflicted on the Government over the flagship Brexit legislation during the report stage of the Bill. The Government has successfully seen off two challenges.
Earlier on, Brexit was compared to the shower scene in the film Psycho as peers rejected calls for a second referendum.
The comparison was made by Labour former Minister Lord Adonis, who was one of those supporting a second amendment to the withdrawal bill.
The amendment, led by the Liberal Democrats, called on the Government to provide an option to the Bill to hold a fresh referendum. It was defeated by 260 to 202, majority 58, with Labour abstaining on the vote.
Leading Remain campaigner Lord Adonis referenced comments made by Lord Lisvane earlier this year, where he likened opposition to a second EU referendum to forcing his nervous aunts to the cinema to see
Reservoir Dogs. Lord Adonis said: “They’ve been in touch and they told me they decided to return home without watching either film. With Lord Lisvane’s help, they put on a DVD. It was Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho . My Lords, they are still watching it in slow motion. The point they have reached, to their horror, is Janet Leigh, about to go into the shower. Or to be more precise, she goes into the shower on March 29 next year, in 333 days.”
Lib Dem Lords leader Lord Newby, moving the amendment, said the 2016 poll “was a mandate to the Government to negotiate Brexit”.
Peers heard that while a second referendum may be divisive, the Brexit process was already proving divisive and would become even more so if the economy was damaged. But there were concerns over repeated polls on Europe, as well as an undermining of faith in politicians.
Labour former Minister Lord Howarth of Newport, speaking against the amendment, said: “We should seek to understand the nature of... public discontent, the depths of this anger, and offer something better. The public voted to leave and they expect the Government to deliver on that.”