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Lords deal 13th Brexit defeat on government by voting to keep key aspects of single market Lords deal 13th Brexit defeat on government by voting to keep key aspects of single market
(35 minutes later)
Peers have dealt a major blow to Theresa May’s Brexit strategy by backing a bid to force the government to effectively keep the UK in the single market.Peers have dealt a major blow to Theresa May’s Brexit strategy by backing a bid to force the government to effectively keep the UK in the single market.
Tory rebels defied the leadership to inflict a 13th defeat on the government in the Lords, where they supported a cross-party amendment calling for continued participation in the European Economic Area. Rebels in both Labour and Tory ranks defied the leadership to inflict a 13th defeat on the government in the Lords, where they supported a cross-party amendment calling for continued participation in the European Economic Area (EEA).
The government also suffered two other losses in the same evening, when peers backed plans to remove references to official Brexit date from the face of the bill as well as plans to keep the UK in EU agencies after Brexit. The news will come as a blow to Jeremy Corbyn, as 83 Labour peers rebelled against a frontbench edict to abstain on the vote. Some 17 Tories also defied Ms May to back the bid.
The removal of the official exit date is likely to infuriate Eurosceptics, who see the bid as an attempt to thwart Brexit as it would open the door for keeping Britain in the EU for longer. It comes after the government suffered two earlier losses, when peers backed plans to remove references to official Brexit date from the face of the bill as well as plans to keep the UK in EU agencies after Brexit.
Labour's Lord Alli, moving the amendment, said: "It is the EEA that deals with services, services like retail, tourism, transport, communications, financial services and aerospace where we have a £14 billion trade surplus in these services.
"The customs union only will benefit our European neighbours in their imports and without an EEA equivalent it will damage our profitable export business and therefore the jobs and livelihoods of many thousands of people.
"It's for that reason that we need to ensure that any continuation of the customs union must include a continuation in the EEA or its equivalent."
Responding for the government, Brexit minister 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."
Labour rebels backing the amendment included former party leader Lord Kinnock, Lord Mandelson and ex-Cabinet minister Lord Hain. The Tory rebels included former Cabinet minister Lord Patten of Barnes and former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine.
Earlier, peers backed a bid to remove the official exit date, March 29, 2019, from the bill, which is likely to infuriate Eurosceptics, who see the bid as an attempt to thwart Brexit.
Labour peer Baroness Hayter said stripping the date from the bill would ”remove the straitjacket” and make the task easier for negotiators.Labour peer Baroness Hayter said stripping the date from the bill would ”remove the straitjacket” and make the task easier for negotiators.
She told peers: “If this amendment is successful, it will remove the straitjacket that the government are in, I have to say not at the behest of negotiators but at the behest of certain ardent Brexiteers.”She told peers: “If this amendment is successful, it will remove the straitjacket that the government are in, I have to say not at the behest of negotiators but at the behest of certain ardent Brexiteers.”
The efforts were spearheaded by the Conservative Duke of Wellington, who insisted he was not trying to ”thwart the process” of leaving the EU.The efforts were spearheaded by the Conservative Duke of Wellington, who insisted he was not trying to ”thwart the process” of leaving the EU.
“We know beyond any doubt that for the purposes of this bill we leave the EU on 29 March 2019,” he said.“We know beyond any doubt that for the purposes of this bill we leave the EU on 29 March 2019,” he said.
“But this date should not be defined and specified ... in case it becomes necessary and in the national interest to agree an extension as provided in Article 50.”“But this date should not be defined and specified ... in case it becomes necessary and in the national interest to agree an extension as provided in Article 50.”
He added: “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 told peers that he saw “no reason” to amend the bill, adding: “I would reiterate that exit day within the bill does not effect our departure from the EU, which is a matter of international law under the Article 50 process.”Brexit minister Lord Callanan told peers that he saw “no reason” to amend the bill, adding: “I would reiterate that exit day within the bill does not effect our departure from the EU, which is a matter of international law under the Article 50 process.”
There were 14 Tory rebels on EU agencies amendment and 10 on the second, including former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine and former cabinet minister Lord Patten of Barnes.There were 14 Tory rebels on EU agencies amendment and 10 on the second, including former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine and former cabinet minister Lord Patten of Barnes.