Brexit deadline will be met despite Lords defeat, says Government
The Lords defeat is described as "disappointing", but the Government says it makes no difference to the Brexit timetable.
Thursday 2 March 2017 09:04, UK
Ministers are confident they remain on course to trigger the start of Brexit by the end of the month, despite a defeat in the House of Lords over protections for EU citizens.
Peers guaranteeing the rights of EU nationals in the UK post-Brexit.
The Government described the result as "disappointing", while sources have confirmed they intend to reverse the result when the bill comes back to the Commons.
And ministers remain confident of meeting the Prime Minister's Article 50 deadline.
A spokesman for the Brexit Department said: "The bill has a straightforward purpose - to enact the referendum result and allow the Government to get on with the negotiations."
With seven rebel Conservative peers voting for the amendment along with 78 independent crossbenchers, opposition parties urged ministers to take the opportunity to rethink their position on EU nationals.
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The Government argued that while it wanted to secure the future rights of EU citizens in the UK, it needed to be able to secure reciprocal rights for British citizens living in the EU at the same time.
The bill is now expected to return to the Commons on 13 and 14 March.
A similar amendment has already been rejected by MPs, and if they do so again, the amendment will then "ping pong" back to the Lords.
Senior opposition parties have indicated they will not seek to defeat the Government again, potentially allowing the PM to invoke Article 50 on 15 March.