The UK 's Conservative party has voted by 348 to 348 in support of an amendment to the government's UK withdrawal bill, requiring ministers to report on their efforts to remain in a customs union with House of Lords . The defeat for Theresa May , whose Conservative party has a slender parliamentary majority and none in the upper house, is one of several expected to follow in the coming weeks . A customs union that sets external tariffs for goods imported into the EU, and allows them to flow freely, would offer a solution to the problem of ensuring no return to a hard border with the bloc on the island of Ireland. The loss of the Conservative parliamentary majority in the coming weeks election has significantly weakened the party's ability to pass legislation.
The UK 's Conservative party has voted by 348 to 348 in support of an amendment to the government's UK withdrawal bill, requiring ministers to report on their efforts to remain in a customs union with House of Lords . The defeat for Theresa May , whose Conservative party has a slender parliamentary majority and none in the upper house, is one of several expected to follow in the coming weeks . The loss of the Conservative parliamentary majority in the coming weeks election has significantly weakened the party's ability to pass legislation.