Theresa May might have won every Brexit vote in the House of Commons so far, but it’s getting trickier now. The House of Lords this week rejected the plan to trigger Article 50 without offering assurances to EU nationals, knowing that most MPs are sympathetic. I understand that the Tory whips are working hard to whittle down threatened rebellion at the ‘ping-pong’ stage. Given that everyone in Vote Leave pledged to protect EU nationals – as did four out of the five original Tory leadership contenders – it’s harder work. Quite a few rebels feel they need to make a point about the status of EU citizens.
The whips will probably succeed, and it seems (this time) that the Lords will not send it back to the Commons again. But an even bigger and longer-lasting headache will be the reams of Brexit-related legislation that will need to be voted through as a result of the proposed Great Repeal Bill.
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