Boris suffers crushing defeat over plan to violate international Brexit law

The government has suffered a defeat in the House of Lords over Brexit legislation that allows ministers to violate international law.

The peers backed a ‘repentance’ amendment, condemning the disputed provisions of the UK Internal Market Bill, by 395 votes to 169, majority 226.

Speaking in support of the amendment, Liberal Democrat Lord Fox said: ‘We all know that this bill is illegal and we know that it flouts important constitutional issues and threatens reinstatement.

‘More than that, we know that it has already eroded trust in our institutions and we know that it is damaging the reputation of this country, which promotes the rule of law.

“Finally, and perhaps most insidiously, we know that any law that seeks to allow the executive to break the laws is morally wrong.”

Referring to the ‘egregious clauses’ of the bill, Labor leader Lord Stevenson de Balmacara argued that the ‘preventive action has put the UK in the wrong’ and damaged Britain’s ‘international reputation as a defender of the rule of law’ .

He added: “When the history of these turbulent months is written, he will not be kind to the current Prime Minister and his Cabinet.”

More follows.

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