Brexit Minister strikes softer tone as Lords defeats loom
2 min read
The Government has hinted at fresh changes to its flagship Brexit bill in a bid to stave off likely defeat in the House of Lords.
Peers are set to back cross-party amendments to the European Union Withdrawal Bill which would demand the UK stays in the customs union post-Brexit, and are also eyeing new clauses calling for the protection of worker and consumer rights after the UK leaves the EU.
But Lord Callanan, the Brexit Minister tasked with steering the bill through the Lords, said ministers were ready "to listen to proposals to improve the Bill", and called for a "spirit of collaboration and cooperation" in the Upper Chamber.
Writing in The Telegraph, he said: "There are other changes we intend to make. We are keen to further demonstrate that the powers in the Bill are essential, and exist simply to ensure we have a fully functioning legal system after we leave the EU - something that is critical in providing certainty to people and businesses as we exit. But it is not a power grab - as some have tried to label it as."
However, the Conservative peer warned that ministers would be "resolute in countering" suggestions that were "not reasonable".
Labour's shadow Leader in the Lords Baroness Smith meanwhile told the same paper that the party's peers would not be "shy about sending amendments to the Commons, giving MPs a further chance to scrutinise the detail of the Bill".
The expected drama in the Lords comes as ten rebel Tory MPs signalled their backing for a Commons amendment, supported by Labour, that would force the Government to seek a fresh customs union with the EU after Brexit.
Nicky Morgan, the pro-remain chair of the Treasury Select Committee said the rebels were "pretty determined" to inflict a defeat on the Government in order to firm up ministers' vow not to return to a hard border in Northern Ireland.
She told The Times: "We’ve given the government the time to come up with a concrete plan to avoid a hard border outside a customs union but the suspicion is that they’re not going to find that."
Even if pro-Brexit Labour MPs peel off to support the Government, it is likely that a rebellion of ten Conservatives will whittle down Theresa May's majority sufficiently to see the amendment pass.
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