LORDS TAKE WRECKING BALL TO BREXIT

REES-MOGG FURY AS PEERS DEFEAT PM AGAIN

FURY erupted last night as members of the Lords were accused of “taking a wrecking ball” to Brexit.

There were four new defeats for the Government over vital legislation, including supporting a move that could delay our departure from the EU.

It took to 14 the number of times that unelected peers have defied Brexit voters, ministers and majority opinion in the House of Commons to back changing the EU (Withdrawal) Bill.

Tory MP and Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said after yesterday’s votes: “The peers set themselves against the people, using an ermine-covered wrecking ball in their efforts to stop Brexit.” But

he stressed: “Ultimately, democracy will triumph.”

The Government’s third defeat in the series of set-backs last night came as the peers backed retaining key aspects of the single market by continued participation in the European Economic Area.

The vote by 245 to 218, a majority of 27, came in defiance of both the Government and Opposition frontbenches.

Pro-Brexit MPs have warned peers are “playing with fire” about their own futures if they continue to obstruct the will of the elected House.

And ahead of yesterday’s votes, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson warned peers could not “frustrate what has been clearly mandated not just by a referendum but by the election as well”.

He added: “Indeed, they shouldn’t frustrate it under any circumstances because they do not represent the sovereign will of the British people.” Mr Rees-Mogg’s fellow Conservative MP Peter Bone, who played a leading role in the Leave campaign, said: “We are in a unique situation where the two Houses of Parliament voted for a referendum to let the people decide.

“The people have decided and Parliament should uphold their wishes.

“When it’s an unelected House that’s deliberately trying to thwart the will of the people then something seriously has gone wrong.

“Their Lordships are showing themselves to be very anti-democratic and they are doing a great disservice to the country.”

A Government source said last night: “The House of Lords is a revising chamber but there have been one or two instances which look like trying to overturn the referendum result.”

Last night, peers voted by 311 to 233, a majority of 78 including 10 Tory rebels, to remove mention of March 29, 2019, as exit day from the legislation.

Proposing the cross-party amend- ment, the Conservative Duke of Wellington denied trying to “thwart the process” of Brexit.

He said deleting the date would give ministers flexibility if more time was needed to prepare for the exit.

He said any extension could be only short but “we should give ministers a bit more flexibility to secure and obtain ratification of the best possible deal, which will do the least damage to the economy and the national interest”.

Brexit minister Lord Callanan said there was no reason for the change.

He insisted Brexit was “a matter of international law under the Article 50 process” which having the date in the Bill would not affect. He added: “What it does affect, however, is whether we leave the EU in a smooth and orderly fashion.”

Earlier, peers voted by 298 to 227, a majority of 71 including 14 Tory rebels, to let Britain continue to belong to EU agencies after it leaves, and copy future EU laws into its own statutes.

Proposing the change, which the Labour frontbench backed, the Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Rev Nick Baines, said: “My concern... is to ask the Government seriously to consider improvements to the Bill in order both that the people should be clear about the how as well as the what of Brexit, and that the transition to a final arrangement might be as good as we can get it. This

amendment formalises and reinforces commitments made by the prime minister.”

For the Government, Lord Callanan said: “I do not believe anything would be gained... apart from confusion and uncertainty.”

Lord Callanan warned remaining in the EEA “would not deliver control of our borders or our laws”.

He said: “On borders it would mean that we would have to continue to accept all four freedoms of the single market, including freedom of movement.

“On laws, it would mean the UK having to implement new EU legislation over which in future we will have little influence and, of course, we will have no vote.

“This will not deliver on the British people’s desire as expressed in the referendum to have more direct control over decisions that affect their daily lives.”

A spokesman for the Department for Exiting the EU said it was “disappointed” with the defeats.

Saying the department would consider the implications, the spokesman stressed: “The fundamental purpose of this Bill is to prepare our statute book for exit day and to provide certainty as we leave the EU.”

After the Bill has its third reading in the House of Lords on Wednesday next week, it will return to the Commons, where ministers will ask MPs to reverse at least some of the changes that have been backed by the peers.