By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 02 Mar 2017 • 9:24
Counting votes at the Houes of Lords
THE House of Lords has voted in favour of amending the Brexit bill in order to guarantee the rights of EU citizens after the UK exits the bloc.
This is Theresa May’s first parliamentary defeat over Brexit, and it came after three hours of heated debate.
The cross-party opposition, which included a number of Conservative ministers, accused the government of using EU citizens as ‘bargaining chips’ when they have the ‘moral right’ to ensure their rights after Brexit.
Pro-Brexit ministers on the other hand, argued that the issue was a priority for the government but should be part of negotiations with the EU to guarantee reciprocal treatment of British expatriates.
Peers voted to amend the bill, with a majority of 102.
The government said it was “disappointed” with the result but would seek to overturn the defeat when the amendment goes back to the House of Commons.
This may result in delays to triggering Article 50, which will initiate the formal Brexit process, as the bill bounces between the Houses, but it is believed the Lords will eventually back down.
The Department for Exiting the EU said: “The bill has a straightforward purpose – to enact the referendum result and allow the government to get on with negotiations.”
Theresa May could face a second defeat, and further delays, when peers vote on an amendment to guarantee a parliamentary vote on the final Brexit deal.
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Scare mongers at it again, the lords live in a world of their own and are the least informed about work and the Europeans who are already here doing a good job .We have a reasonably good relationship with EU countries and I am pretty sure we well be equally anxious about the migrants situation following Brexit and that there will be a fair and secure exchange of both of those entering the UK and of those who will still wish to enter EU countries either for work or retirement. The public are aware of some situations not being fair to everyone ,but free of Brussels dictat we will all get along splendidly.
I agree with you 100% Sheila, the people voted on this and parliament voted as well, now we have a bunch of unelected cronies trying to dictate how we go forward on Art 50! So we have a government that will need to negotiate with the EU, something both sides need to go into with a clean slate, then proceed from there but the unelected HoL ‘whom a lot of receive money from the EU’ have decided that we need to go into the negotiations with part of the negotiations having been decided by them, and we haven’t even started talking to the EU negotiator yet, these fools will be a part of their own downfall!
Ppl please don’t start to ramble on about this being democracy because it is not, it is a bunch of high paid cronies “600 of them BTW, more than actual MP’s” trying to make things as they want them to be, because they make money out of the EU! They are not looking out for the UK and its citizens, they are looking out for non UK citizens over UK citizens. I guess this is not strange as this seems to be the general direction of politicians and the elite in the UK over recent years, another reason people are getting fed up with them and I think ‘and hope’ it will be on their own heads.
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