LONDON – Britain’s upper house on Monday voted to give parliament powers toblock or delay a final deal on departure from the European Union, defeatingPrime Minister Theresa May’s government.
The House of Lords voted 335 to 244 in favor of a ‘meaningful vote’amendment to May’s Brexit blueprint that could allow parliament to sendministers back to the negotiating table in Brussels or even halt the Brexitprocess if it disapproved of the final deal.
“This is not … about creating a constitutional crisis, nor is it aboutasking the Commons (the lower house) to take on the negotiations … it isto ask the Commons and parliament to decide whether the outcome of thenegotiations is good enough,” said Dianne Hayter, the opposition LabourParty’s Brexit spokeswoman.
The result had been expected, and was the seventh time in recent weeks thatthe government has been defeated in the Lords on the legislation that willformally terminate Britain’s EU membership.
The Lords amendments to the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill have beencriticized by the government and can be overturned in the lower house,where May has a working majority, albeit a slim one.
The government suffered an eighth defeat when lawmakers backed an amendmentrequiring ministers to seek parliamentary approval for their negotiatingmandate in the next round of Brexit talks on Britain future relationshipwith the bloc.