The UK government’s Brexit bill has returned to the House of Commons after 15 defeats in the House of Lords, over environmental protection, and a Labour peer has told Theresa May to be “pragmatic” about the proposed changes. The final defeat came because peers wanted the government to maintain EU environmental standards after Brexit. Lord Krebs, the former chair of the Food Standards Agency, said he was "not satisfied" with the idea of a consultation and wanted guarantees that existing principles will continue to apply and be enforced. Other defeats have come over the customs union, the Irish border and removing the precise Brexit date of 29 March 2019 from the legislation. In an interview with Sky News, Lord Adonis said that he was not surprised by the defeat, but added it would make him more determined than ever to push for changes to the bill.
The UK government’s Brexit bill has returned to the House of Commons after 15 defeats in the House of Lords, over environmental protection, and a Labour peer has told Theresa May to be “pragmatic” about the proposed changes. The final defeat came because peers wanted the government to maintain EU environmental standards after Brexit. Other defeats have come over the customs union, the Irish border and removing the precise Brexit date of 29 March 2019 from the legislation. In an interview with Sky News, Lord Adonis said that he was not surprised by the defeat, but added it would make him more determined than ever to push for changes to the bill.