My thanks to colleagues across the @UKHouseofLords for supporting my motion on #Brexit. Emphatically rejecting no deal & clear that PMs Deal is inadequate- vote 321 to 152 - a majority of 169. A vote for common sense!
… but a big question is with 258 Conservative Peers why are so many abstaining tonight? Could they be very disgruntled with their Leader and the policy?
BREAKING: Govt defeated for 10th time today on #PolicingBill as Peers vote 198-153 to prevent Amendt 152 which creates offence of 'interference with key national infrastructure' being added to the bill. (Amendt 153 also falls.)
When I was first introduced into @UKHouseofLords a friend commented on my new ‘part time job’. It’s now nearly 11pm on a Thursday night and still here! On Tuesday the House sat until 3.30am and Wednesday until 1am! But surely such important debates should not be taken so late?!
This Legislation is so poor that even Tory Peers can’t support it. In 3 of the 8 votes the Govt lost last night fewer than 100 of the 258 Tory Lords backed the Government.
This is getting very silly. Let’s be clear @UKHouseofLords has voted - cross party - to let MPs make a judgement of the Government’s withdrawal deal, rather than the Hobson’s Choice of My Deal or No Deal. MPs will now vote on that amendment.
Yet again Tory MP, Sir Christopher Chope’s blocking of a Bill disgusts us all. Two points: This was a independent Cross Bench Bill that had full support of @UKHouseofLords with NO objections. And why was he ever given a knighthood! bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
If this Prorogation was genuinely just for a new Queen’s Speech it would last 5 days - not 5 weeks! It is wrong - and clearly a device geared to evading Parliamentary scrutiny & engagement on Brexit. I am not prepared to be party to such a political charade.
EXCL: Leaders of Labour and Liberal Democrats in the Lords, @LadyBasildon and @RichardNewby3, are boycotting tonight's prorogation ceremony. Usually they would be required to wear robes and doff caps thetimes.co.uk/article/johnso…
