Major blow to Theresa May’s Brexit plans as Lords votes to stay in single market....but that’s just the starts of it.... independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…
At the weekend the Indy revealed that Tories in the Commons now have support to beat the government on the EEA amendment as long as Labour backs it too independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…
While May and her cabinet have been obsessing about the customs union, the cross-party rebel alliance has outflanked them on the single market
That has huge implications for what Brexiteer backbenchers might feel the need to do in terms of upending the table if May’s hand is forced now forced on the EEA
Also for what Boris Johnson and Liam Fox might do, both have already threatened to quit over future customs relations that they find unacceptable, let alone closeness to the single market
Critically the Lords victory really puts the pressure on the Labour frontbench who were adamant that a) the EEA motion would not make it to the Commons and b) the EEA route was not the right one for the U.K.
Corbyn now faces having to completely change that position, having been forced to by Chuka Umunna, Chris Leslie and Alison McGovern and Heid Alexander
The only alternative is to whip his party AGAINST staying in the single market - and expose himself to a potential major backlash from the pro-EU membership that is his power base.
Labour had been using the Lords to pressure the government, but it seems the Lords has turned on Labour as well - there’s a lot of emergency gaming going on across Westminster tonight.
