Theresa May was under pressure to reopen the issue of Britain’s membership of a customs union after suffering two big defeats in the House of Lords on the government’s key Brexit bill. The debate on the government’s key piece of Brexit legislation, in a packed chamber, was watched by the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer. After the customs union vote, he said: “The passing of this cross-party amendment is an important step forward. Peers will continue debating and amending the bill for another five days, spread out over the next few weeks. The EU withdrawal bill transfers EU law on to the UK statute book in preparation for Brexit – and grants the government sweeping powers to tweak it in the process.

Source: The Guardian April 18, 2018 14:27 UTC