UK Government Once Again Defeated in House of Lords on EU Bill

The British government has faced opposition from MPs – including a number of backbenchers from the ruling Tory party – and from peers in the House of Lords over its proposals for the UK’s EU Withdrawal Bill.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s government suffered yet another defeat in the House of Lords today, with peers supporting an amendment which backs Britain’s continued membership of EU agencies, according to the Independent newspaper.

The law allows future EU legislation to be “replicated” into UK statute law.  

298 votes were cast in favor of the amendment, while 227 opposed it. This marks the 11th defeat to the British government’s EU Withdrawal Bill and is indicative of the increasingly divided sentiment in UK politics, especially with regards to Brexit and Britain’s future relationship with the bloc.

READ MORE: 'Britain is Reaching Crunch Point in the Whole Brexit Debate' — Prof

Some politicians have expressed criticism over the House of Lords’ power is the legislation-setting process, given its unelected nature.

Although the house’s influence has previously been described as undemocratic, currently, its harshest critics are officials from the government, which has suffered a string of embarrassing defeats in the house.

On another Brexit-related vote last week, the government was defeated, granting power to parliament, not the PM, to decide what the UK should do if negotiations fail to produce an agreeable deal.

READ MORE: 'Betrayal': UKIP Founder Explains Reasons Behind House of Lords' Brexit Decision