Brexit bill 'likely to be passed by Lords on Monday'


Labour Lords sources have said they are 80-90% sure the Brexit bill will be passed by peers by midnight on Monday.

It will allow Theresa May to commence Brexit negotiations on Tuesday.
Earlier, Jeremy Corbyn said he wants Labour to continue to press for changes to the bill.
The Labour leader said the party should "keep on" fighting to give European citizens a guaranteed right to remain in the UK.
It came amid reports Cabinet ministers have been told to cancel overseas trips and Tory whips are making sure every MP is present for the signing of the bill in Parliament this week.

Enda Kenny
Video:Kenny: 'UK's Brexit bill will have to be faced'
Theresa May has said she wants to invoke Article 50 by the end of March, with a target date of Wednesday 15 March.
Last week, peers also voted to force Mrs May to seek Parliament's backing for any withdrawal deal she agrees with the EU.
The bill is going back to the Commons and is then expected to return to the Lords.
Mr Corbyn urged the House of Lords to "stick with" their earlier stance having previously backed Labour's amendments.

Mr Corbyn said: "We will keep on with this."Clearly to win requires all opposition parties to unite on this, that we seem to be able to do. But it also requires Conservative abstentions or votes with us on it.

Theresa May said people voted so as not to have to ‘pay huge sums of money’ to the EU once we leave the EU
Video:PM on prospect of a huge Brexit 'divorce bill'
"If the House of Commons does not pass then it goes back to the Lords and I hope the Lords will stick with that position and send it back to the Commons, because it seems to be an important message to put that EU nationals make a massive contribution to our society, in health, in education, in science and engineering, in agriculture, in so many ways."
His shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the Government should listen to the Lords and take on board what they have voted for.
He said: "We are hoping the Government will see sense. We can then get Article 50 agreed in a sensible way and get on with the real negotiations."

Iain Duncan Smith told Sky a hefty Brexit 'divorce bill' was not an inevitability
Video:IDS on Brexit divorce: 'We don't have to pay a damn thing'
Sky's political correspondent Beth Rigby says: "It doesn't seems like there is the air of rebellion in the Lords. She could well be in a position to trigger Brexit on Tuesday."
European leaders are preparing for formal Brexit negotiations to begin within days should Theresa May trigger Article 50 next week.
EU leaders, meeting in Brussels, were told to prepare for the possibility that Britain could trigger talks as early as next Tuesday, with a formal gathering on 6 April pencilled in to respond to Britain's formal letter of notification.
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny confirmed to reporters that the EU 27 had provisionally agreed a meeting in early April to agree a framework for exit talks.

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