House of Lords
Parliament

Conservative Lord Howell of Guildford tells the House that in the future 90% of "world demand" will be generated outside Europe.

He dismisses the idea of the existence of a cliff edge between operating inside or outside of the single market.

He warns peers about using up "too much indignation" on membership of the single market.

In fact, he says, with the "new pattern" of international trade "we can do pretty well" outside of the single market.

House of Commons
Parliament

MPs are now debating funding of social care after an earlier debate on financing future flood defences. 

Chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee Clive Betts says that councils have tried to protect social care funding but have not been able to protect it entirely. 

He notes that real term cuts in funding to both social care and local councils has made attempts to shield social care from cuts difficult. 

He says the "link between health and social care should be better" and praises early attempts to close the gap. He believes that such long-term planning could "stand the test of time".

House of Lords
Parliament

Peers now move on to amendment 4 which requires the prime minister to give an undertaking to negotiate on the basis that the UK will remain in the single market. 

Lord Hain begins by telling peers that he intends to push his amendment to a vote.

He says the government is seeking to pursue a "hard Brexit" which he describes as "the worst possible outcome for which the referendum gave them no mandate whatsoever".

He notes that the Conservative manifesto in 2015 promised to safeguard British interests within the single market.

He also quotes leave campaigners Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan ("Nobody is actually talking about leaving the single market") and Conservative MP Owen Paterson ("Only a madman would actually leave the market").

Turning our backs on single market could be "catastrophic", he concludes and that, he says, is why he plans to push the amendment to a vote. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Lib Dem Leader Lord Newby stands by his belief that the public need a say on the outcomes of any deal with the EU, but "for today" he withdraws the amendment. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Exiting the EU Minister Lord Bridges of Headley believes that a second referendum would "put a thorn back into British politics and rub salt in the wound."

He says the referendum was established to answer a question which had caused tension in society for a number of years. 

Politicians, he says, must listen to that answer or face widening divisions and creating further "uncertainty". 

House of Lords
Parliament

Leader of the Opposition Baroness Smith of Basildon says she is "naturally cautious" of referendums unless there is public demand. 

She says that calls for a second referendum were being seen by people as an attempt to undermine the vote to leave.

She asks whether a second referendum campaign would fare better in presenting facts about the deal or would it resort to the "unimpressive" levels of rhetoric seen in the first one. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, former leader of the Liberal Democrats, says that the second referendum is necessary as the government has chosen "the most brutal form of leaving that is possible".

He says he accepts the government's mandate, but did not accept they have a mandate for the chosen path of Brexit, claiming it has gone against promises made during the campaign.

He admits people might choose to leave the single market and customs union, but argues that people must be given the choice. 

House of Lords
Parliament

UUP's Lord Empey asks why Brussels would make a deal with people who "are incapable of making an agreement," saying the amendment would undermine the deal-making process.  

He says the time for making the case for a second EU referendum was when the first one was approved in Parliament. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Baroness Wheatcroft says a second referendum would be about "upholding democracy, not denying it."

She says that saying the public are unable to decide if a deal is good or not would show "contempt for the people". 

She argues that many of the things promised by the Leave side might not emerge, meaning a deal must be approved once again by the people. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Lord Lamont of Lerwick, a former Chancellor under John Major, says the "real motivation" behind the amendment is, paraphrasing EU Commission President Jean Claude Juncker, "if the people vote the wrong way, we must go on voting until we get the right answer."

He says the a second referendum would be "counterproductive" and that the idea that Article 50 is reversible is not clear.

It would also reduce the UK's negotiating position if any deal must go back to the people, he says. 

He says it is an "opportunistic" amendment which "lacks in any logic".  

House of Lords
Parliament

The next amendment to be debated comes from the Lib Dems.

The amendment states that a final deal on exiting the EU should be approved both by Parliament and through a referendum.

"The people should have the final say," argues the leader of Lib Dem peers Lord Newby. 

House of Lords
Parliament

"If we get this wrong, for the UK, it may be perilous. For Northern Ireland it could be politically lethal," says Lord Hain.

With that warning, he withdraws his amendment. 

House of Lords
Parliament

No one wants to see a return to the borders of the past, says Northern Ireland Office spokesman Lord Dunlop.

It is not just an economic matter he says, but a "social and psychological" one.

For example, he notes that there are families who are signed up to a GP on the other side of the border.

He tells the House that the government is seeking "practical solutions" to achieve as "frictionless a border as possible".

However, he argues that this bill is the wrong place for the amendments being debated.

This, he says, is a straightforward bill that starts the process of withdrawal, not one that concerns the wider negotiation process. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Opposition spokesperson and former Northern Ireland secretary Lord Murphy of Torfaen notes that debate on these amendments has lasted nearly two hours.

This, he says, demonstrates the importance of the border between Northern Ireland the Republic of Ireland.

It is an issue that cannot be allowed to drift, he says.

House of Lords
Parliament

Crossbencher Baroness O'Loan says the bill has nothing to do with Irish security.

She adds that the amendment has been introduced in a "haphazard, hasty way" which does "not serve the interests of the country".

The subject of border, she argues, should be dealt with during the negotiations and not in this bill. 

House of Lords
Parliament

Nobody wants a hard border, says Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey.

He notes the suggestion that immigration powers could be devolved to Stormont, the Northern Ireland Assembly.

He argues that this would lead to needing a pass to get from County Antim to County Down.

It is the last thing we need, he says, adding that the Northern Ireland Assembly can't agree on anything at the moment.

He argues that the amendment is misplaced, and would lead to the UK "painting itself into a corner". 

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, Getty Images

Labour's Lord Pendry says that farmers in Northern Ireland fear their concerns will not be heard during Brexit negotiations. 

Another Labour peer, Lord Rooker, intervenes to let the House know that the milk involved in the making of Bailey's cream, crosses the border six times. 

House of Commons
Parliament

The Chair of the Environmental Audi Committee, Mary Creagh, says there is a "lack of long-term strategic planning for flood risk" and a "stop-start" approach to flooding. 

She also says "flooding is the greatest risk our country faces from climate change", and our country will only face increases in the coming years.

She adds that the adaptation processes are not quick enough to prevent flooding caused by climate change.