UK govt Brexit bill faces defeat in Lords over rights of EU nationals

The UK government's Brexit bill faced its first defeat on Wednesday as the House of Lords looked likely to pass an amendment that secures that rights of EU citizens in Britain.

The amendment, tabled by Labour peers, has garnered the backing of crossbench, Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers and will be voted on later on Wednesday.

It is the first major challenge to Prime Minister Theresa May's. She has pledged to trigger Article 50, the mechanism which starts the two year exit negotiation process, by the end of March. The Lords amendment aims to secure the rights of EU residents in the country within three months of that starting.

A similar measure was tabled by opposition Labour MPs last month in the House of Commons but was defeated. Parliament emphatically voted for the Article 50 bill last month largely unchanged after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn forced his MPs to support the legislation.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd tried to head off the revolt by telling peers that the status of EU nationals would be a priority once Brexit talks begin.

"There is absolutely no question of treating EU citizens with anything other than the utmost respect," she said in a letter to peers on Tuesday.

“That’s why we will be making securing their status a priority as soon as we trigger Article 50 and the negotiations begin. The hold-up is less an issue of principle than one of timing, with a few EU countries insisting there can be 'no negotiation before notification', and therefore that nothing can be settled until Article 50 is triggered."

Rudd had been accused of using EU nationals resident in Britain as “bargaining chips” in the negotiations.

May has previously said that she would not guarantee the rights of EU citizens in Britain until other member states in turn guarantee the rights of Britons in Europe.

If the the bill is amended it will pass back to the Commons for a vote, but might not disrupt the government's timetable.

On Wednesday, peers will also discuss having a “meaningful vote” on the final Brexit deal reached with EU, which they will likely vote on next week.