The UK's House of Lords has voted by 348 to 225 in support of an amendment to the government's Brexit withdrawal bill, requiring ministers to report on their efforts to remain in a customs union with the European Union. May’s trade minister, Liam Fox, and others see such a deal as anathema if it prevents London negotiating its own trade deals. In its first vote since it was introduced, the bill passed through parliament after peers backed amendments that would require government departments and agencies to prepare for leaving the EU without any transition deal. The loss of the Conservative parliamentary majority in last June's election has significantly weakened the party's ability to pass legislation.
The UK's House of Lords has voted by 348 to 225 in support of an amendment to the government's Brexit withdrawal bill, requiring ministers to report on their efforts to remain in a customs union with the European Union. In its first vote since it was introduced, the bill passed through parliament after peers backed amendments that would require government departments and agencies to prepare for leaving the EU without any transition deal. The loss of the Conservative parliamentary majority in last June's election has significantly weakened the party's ability to pass legislation.