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Jacob Rees-Mogg has said recent votes by the House of Lords on Monday night were an attempt to reverse the result of the 2016 Brexit referendum and showed “contempt” for the electorate. The Conservative MP’s comments came after the Lords defeated the government three times on key Brexit votes. Among them was an amendment which would give Parliament the power to force ministers back to the negotiating table rather than leaving the EU without a deal. Mr Rees-Mogg told the BBC: “It was essentially a rejection of the referendum result. “Lord Haleshom, who moved the motion, said of the referendum that it ‘at very best was an interim decision’.

BBC; Getty Jacob Rees-Mogg questioned the constitutionality of the votes

It has no mandate, it has no legitimacy. It is there effectively on sufferance. Jacob Rees-Mogg

“The Lords has very little public support when it’s doing more than its job of being a revising chamber. “It has no mandate, it has no legitimacy. It is there effectively on sufferance. If they don’t want to abide by constitutional norms and they don’t want to accept manifesto commitments, you have to ask: what purpose is the House of Lords serving?” The votes are a major setback for PM Theresa May, who has framed Parliament’s vote on the final Brexit deal as a ‘take it or leave it’ decision, with the UK leaving the EU without a deal if a package is voted down. Downing Street expressed “strong disappointment” at the move and promised a “robust” response.