House of Lords
Parliament

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Brexit Minister Lord Callanan says there's no doubt retained EU law will include "important rights and protections" and they must not be "diluted or weakened".

He underlines the government's commitment to "effective parliamentary scrutiny", pointing to amendments the government has brought in.

He says retained EU law will be subject to numerous scrutiny procedures including the new sifting committee.

The sifting committee - to sort through statutory instruments and decide which need further examination - was accepted by the government as the bill went through the Commons.

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Peers are now debating an amendment put forward by the Labour front bench, which is intended to offer "enhanced protection" to post-Brexit retained EU law in a number of areas.

They are:

• Employment
• Equality
• Health and safety
• Consumer standards

A further amendment, also supported by Labour, adds human rights to the list.

The amendment would prevent governments cutting back current rules without primary legislation or subordinate legislation which is subject to an enhanced scrutiny procedure.

Shadow deputy leader of the Lords Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town says she "would hope that no government would ever want to sweep away such protections" but believes that the public statements of some Conservative ministers on deregulating the employment market or health and safety standards make the amendment necessary.

As well as the Labour Party, the amendment has the support of members of the Lib Dems and Conservatives.

Today in Parliament
Today in Parliament

You can hear more about today's events in Parliament - including the EU Withdrawal Bill in the Lords - on Today in Parliament at 11.30pm on Radio 4.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Government spokesman Lord Keen of Elie says that the intention of the government is to create a "snapshot" of EU law to ensure that the rules are the same on the first day of Brexit as they were on the last day of EU membership.

He says that at least two of the directives mentioned are ones which the UK has already opted out of, including the one on legal aid for those arrested under the European Arrest Warrant.

He adds that all but three of the directives will be in place before the end of the "implementation period" on 31st December 2020, when the UK will continue to mirror EU law without being a member. He says the process for this will be "provided for by the implemention bill".

House of Lords
Parliament

Peers are now debating an amendment that would bring into effect EU directives that have been agreed and adopted by the UK, but have not been brought into effect by exit day.

The peers bringing the amendment forward have identified 25 directives covering subjects including cross-border recognition of professional qualifications, legal aid for those arrested under the European Arrest Warrant and safety on passenger ships.

Lib Dem Baroness Smith of Newnham says the directives are an "anomaly" in the Brexit process, because currently these directives would not come into effect on the day the UK leaves the EU.

The government has defeated in the Lords - but does that mean the change sought will now stay in the bill? Not necessarily.

The bill will pass back and forth between the Commons and Lords - a process known as ping-pong – as they hammer out which bits they really want to keep and which bits need more work.

Normally the Lords feel obliged to give way to the Commons in the end, because MPs are the elected ones.

But because this bill is so significant – and has already been defeated by MPs once – they may feel bolder than usual about trying to get their way.

House of Lords
Parliament

Peers vote 348 to 225 to back an amendment in the name of crossbencher, Lord Kerr, with cross-party support - meaning a defeat for the government.

The amendment requires the government to report to Parliament by 31 October 2018 on the steps it has taken to negotiate continued participation in a UK-EU customs union before the European Communities Act 1972 can be repealed.

House of Lords
Parliament

There are plenty of peers voting - but will it be the largest vote ever?

On 7 March 2017, the House of Lords voted at report stage on the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill by 366 votes to 268 to agree to an amendment moved by Lord Pannick, a crossbench peer.

In total 634 members voted, almost four in five of those eligible to do so at the time of the vote. This is the largest total number of members voting in a single division on record.

Read more about it in this library briefing., external

House of Lords
Parliament

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Lord Kerr, in whose name the amendment appears, responds briefly to the minister, saying he wants to "thank him for repeating so eloquently what we've heard so many times before".

The amendment would require the government to report to Parliament by 31 October 2018 on the steps it has taken to negotiate continued participation in a UK-EU customs union before the European Communities Act 1972 can be repealed.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Minister Lord Callanan says the government cannot accept any of the amendments discussed so far today advocating membership of the EU's customs union.

This will be "no surprise" to peers listening in, he says.

He says that as members of the customs union - but not the EU - the UK would have "less influence over our international trade policy than we do now" which "would not be in the best interests of UK businesses".

He says the government's "ambitious" trade agreement with the EU will be far better, and that the UK will be a "powerful and positive" voice for free trade.

And he says the government will not be changing its mind on the amendment between now and third reading.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Labour spokesperson Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town responds for the opposition to the debate so far, which has been on an amendment to require the government to report on negotiating a continued EU-UK customs union.

Responding to a suggestion from Lord Forsyth that the amendment's backers are sowing division, she says the government is "doing that quite well by itself".

She argues the amendment is about "how we leave the EU", given there is "no mandate for a hard Brexit".

Remaining in a customs union would be "good for governance" and "allow full access to European markets with no impediments", she continues.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Conservative ex-chancellor Lord Lawson of Blaby says he wants to address suggestions that people did not know we would leave the customs union.

He tells the House he was chair of Vote Leave and "made it absolutely clear that leaving the EU meant leaving the customs union and single market".

He goes on to insist it's "nonsensical to say you can't trade without a free trade agreement".

House of Lords
Parliament

Conservative Viscount Ridley asks those who want Brexit to succeed not to be swayed by "millionaire luvvies and Trekkies gathering in Camden".

Labour's Lord Adonis says he will defer to Viscount Ridley's knowledge of millionaires, but argues it will be "ordinary people" who are affected the most if Brexit goes ahead on current terms.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary, Rebecca Long Bailey says the Secretary of State is wearing spectacles "which may be a little rose-tinted".

She says the productivity figures for 2017 show two negative quarters and two positive quarters, but the positive quarters are due to GDP fluctuations.

The OECD puts the UK at the slowest growing out of France, Germany, and the USA in the next two years. Britain is the only country where productivity has increased but wages have not, she adds.

"Insecure employment is rife," affecting roughly one in ten of the workforce in the UK, she says. "Tweaking the law, here and there, is simply not good enough," she adds.

"The UK is sadly one of the most unequal countries in Europe in terms of household income," she states, by some forecasts, inequality may reach "record highs by 2023".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary, Greg Clark, says the Industrial Strategy put forward by the government is working to address the productivity of the UK, which "has not been as good as some of our competitors".

There are five areas which the government needs to work in, not just in the Business department but in other departments too. He says he wants a business environment for start ups that will allow them to "attract the funding they need to grow".

He says that "whether it is looking to the future, harnessing resources" or "looking objectively and candidly at areas in which we need to do better," then the government is setting out a strategy for which all areas of the UK can contribute, he adds.