18 April 2018

Financial Times: Government suffers Brexit defeat in House of Lords

The vote, which could be overturned by MPs, represents one of the boldest attempts yet by pro-EU parliamentarians to shape the terms on which Britain leaves the EU. Peers voted 348 to 225 against the government, in a majority that exceeded expectations.

Theresa May, the prime minister, has insisted Britain will not be part of a customs union with the EU after the end of a Brexit transition. That would mean the UK can negotiate trade deals with third countries, at the risk of greater bureaucracy in exchanging goods with the EU.

Pro-EU Conservative MPs are not expected to back the Lords amendment, but are likely instead to wait until any vote on the final Brexit deal later this year before deciding whether to put pressure on the government.

Labour’s Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said the Lords vote was “an important step forward” and said there was now a “growing chorus of voices” calling for an ongoing customs union with the EU.

The amendment to the EU withdrawal bill would require the government to make a statement to parliament outlining the steps to negotiate a customs union with the EU as part of the future relationship.

The motion was put forward jointly by John Kerr, a cross-bencher and former civil servant, and Chris Patten, a former Conservative cabinet minister, as well as shadow ministers from Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

Lord Kerr, who authored Article 50, said Britain had to seek to “limit the damage” of leaving its largest market: “Other red lines have been . . . sensibly blurred. In my view, it’s time for this one.” He has called for a referendum on the Brexit deal, but he said that his amendment was part of a separate attempt to improve the deal itself. [...]

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