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| Brexit: Heseltine vows to rebel in Lords bill debate | Brexit: Heseltine vows to rebel in Lords bill debate |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Senior Tory Lord Heseltine has said he will rebel against the government when peers debate the bill giving Theresa May the authority to trigger Brexit. | Senior Tory Lord Heseltine has said he will rebel against the government when peers debate the bill giving Theresa May the authority to trigger Brexit. |
| He said he would support an opposition amendment in the House of Lords demanding MPs get a meaningful vote on the deal reached with the EU. | He said he would support an opposition amendment in the House of Lords demanding MPs get a meaningful vote on the deal reached with the EU. |
| Writing in the Mail on Sunday, he denied this would be a "confrontation". | Writing in the Mail on Sunday, he denied this would be a "confrontation". |
| But Home Secretary Amber Rudd told ITV's Peston on Sunday programme: "I hope he will reconsider." | But Home Secretary Amber Rudd told ITV's Peston on Sunday programme: "I hope he will reconsider." |
| Last week peers gave an unopposed second reading to the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill, following a two-day debate involving more than 180 speakers. | Last week peers gave an unopposed second reading to the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill, following a two-day debate involving more than 180 speakers. |
| MPs have already backed the proposed law, authorising Prime Minister Theresa May to inform the EU of the UK's intention to leave. | MPs have already backed the proposed law, authorising Prime Minister Theresa May to inform the EU of the UK's intention to leave. |
| Opposition peers want to amend the bill at a later date to guarantee the rights of EU citizens in Britain and the role of Parliament in scrutinising the process. | Opposition peers want to amend the bill at a later date to guarantee the rights of EU citizens in Britain and the role of Parliament in scrutinising the process. |
| As the government does not have a majority in the Lords, it is vulnerable to being outvoted if opposition peers - including Labour's 202 and the 102 Lib Dems - join forces. | As the government does not have a majority in the Lords, it is vulnerable to being outvoted if opposition peers - including Labour's 202 and the 102 Lib Dems - join forces. |
| Mrs May has said she wants to invoke Article 50 of the 2009 Lisbon Treaty - the formal two-year mechanism by which a member state must leave the EU - by the end of March, and the government has warned the House of Lords not to frustrate the process. | Mrs May has said she wants to invoke Article 50 of the 2009 Lisbon Treaty - the formal two-year mechanism by which a member state must leave the EU - by the end of March, and the government has warned the House of Lords not to frustrate the process. |
| Lord Heseltine wrote in the Mail on Sunday: "The fightback starts here. My opponents will argue that the people have spoken, the [Brexit] mandate secured and the future cast. My experience stands against this argument." | Lord Heseltine wrote in the Mail on Sunday: "The fightback starts here. My opponents will argue that the people have spoken, the [Brexit] mandate secured and the future cast. My experience stands against this argument." |
| He also wrote: "This is not a confrontation with the government. It is to ensure the Commons can exercise its authority over the defining issue of our time." | He also wrote: "This is not a confrontation with the government. It is to ensure the Commons can exercise its authority over the defining issue of our time." |
| 'Plenty of opportunity' | 'Plenty of opportunity' |
| The former deputy prime minister, whose leadership challenge to Margaret Thatcher helped trigger her exit from Number 10 in 1990, campaigned for Remain in the run-up to the referendum. | The former deputy prime minister, whose leadership challenge to Margaret Thatcher helped trigger her exit from Number 10 in 1990, campaigned for Remain in the run-up to the referendum. |
| He has been a long-standing supporter of the EU within the Conservative Party and backed the idea of the UK joining the single currency. | He has been a long-standing supporter of the EU within the Conservative Party and backed the idea of the UK joining the single currency. |
| Ms Rudd said: "The fact is the House of Commons, which he was such a fantastic member of in his time, did pass it by a big majority | Ms Rudd said: "The fact is the House of Commons, which he was such a fantastic member of in his time, did pass it by a big majority |
| "I hope he will reconsider. There'll be plenty of opportunities to debate." | "I hope he will reconsider. There'll be plenty of opportunities to debate." |
| Meanwhile, Gina Miller, the investment manager who brought the successful legal challenge against the government, forcing the Article 50 issue to a vote in Parliament, accused the Commons of "cowardice" in giving the bill a "rubber stamp". | |
| She told the Independent: "I am hoping the Lords actually do what they should be doing constitutionally, exercising their parliamentary sovereignty, being independent, scrutinising the government and looking to put in amendments." | |
| Appearing on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, she also said: "The will of the people does not negate the weight or wisdom of the Houses of Parliament." | |
| But Conservative Party chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin told the same programme: "The bill got an overwhelming majority, one of the biggest majorities a bill has got on its third reading in the House of Commons and it's gone to the House of Lords. | |
| "The prime minister has said that there will be a vote once the negotiations are concluded. The prime minister won't conclude the negotiations if she thinks she's got a bad deal." | "The prime minister has said that there will be a vote once the negotiations are concluded. The prime minister won't conclude the negotiations if she thinks she's got a bad deal." |
| The Leader of the House of Commons, David Lidington, told BBC Radio 4's The Westminster Hour: "We'll listen, with respect as always, to the Lords when they debate the bill." | The Leader of the House of Commons, David Lidington, told BBC Radio 4's The Westminster Hour: "We'll listen, with respect as always, to the Lords when they debate the bill." |
| But he added that he hoped peers would not amend it, suggesting that to do so would go against the will of the people: "I still hope that the Lords will, at the end of the day, accept that this bill is in a particular position, unusual position, because of the referendum result." | But he added that he hoped peers would not amend it, suggesting that to do so would go against the will of the people: "I still hope that the Lords will, at the end of the day, accept that this bill is in a particular position, unusual position, because of the referendum result." |