‘Peers playing with fire in attempts to derail Brexit’ – Rees-Mogg
THE future of the House of Lords could be in doubt as peers are “playing with fire” by trying to thwart Brexit, Jacob Rees-Mogg has warned.
The Tory MP, leader of the influential European Research Group of Conservatives, said it was now a case of the “peers against the people” after the Government’s Brexit legislation suffered a series of defeats in the upper chamber.
His comments came after a petition calling for a referendum on abolishing the House of Lords passed the 100,000 signature mark, which could trigger a debate in Parliament.
Mr Rees-Mogg, speaking in Parliament at an event organised by the Open Europe think tank, said peers “have to decide whether they love ermine or the EU more”.
In a series of forthright interventions, Mr Rees-Mogg:
■ Said giving preferential immigration treatment to EU citizens after Brexit would be a “racist” policy’
■ described Theresa May’s approach to Brexit as “enigmatic”; and
■ labelled the Government’s proposal for a customs partnership with the EU “completely cretinous”
The Government’s plans for Brexit have been dealt a series of blows in the Lords, with peers inflicting a massive defeat on the issue of leaving the customs union.
Mr Rees-Mogg claimed that peers were breaching the convention that the House of Lords should not prevent a Government implementing commitments made in its election manifesto.
And he said the Prime Minister had made it “absolutely clear” that she would not accept remaining in a customs union after Brexit.
The Government is expected to try to overturn the amendment in the Commons and Mr Rees-Mogg warned would-be Tory rebels: “I don’t think it’s fine for people to tell their voters they are standing to leave the customs union and then not to do that.”
In a message to the peers he accused of seeking to “thwart” the referendum result, Mr Rees-Mogg said: “It’s striking that 100,000 people can sign a petition so quickly.
“I think their lordships are playing with fire and it would be a shame to burn down a historic house.”
Mr Rees-Mogg played down the prospect of the Government collapsing over the customs union issue, insisting that when it came to a vote in the Commons it would not be a confidence motion.
He rejected the suggestion that a defeat would be so damaging for Mrs May’s authority she would have to stand down.
“I think when you have got a very small majority you accept that you won’t always get every vote that you want, and you have to look at the legal effect of what happens.”