Pro-EU peers should stop playing with fire. They might get burned

Jacob Rees-Mogg attracted a lot of attention with his coruscating critique of Theresa May's approach to Brexit, but another target of his ire was noteworthy: the House of Lords.

The European Research Group chair showed his displeasure with peers for repeatedly trying to dilute the cleanness of the break from Brussels the government wants to set in law over the last few days. They rose up in favour of Britain joining a customs union last week, and demanded a few more things on Monday - including that Britain keeps the EU's rights charter after leaving the bloc.

"When it challenges the democratic will, as it is doing now, then we get fed up with it and think it has very little legitimacy and needs to be challenged," Mr Rees-Mogg declared yesterday. "Their lordships are playing with fire and it would be a shame to burn down a historic House... they may have to decide whether they love ermine or the EU more."

Those peers have resorted to patronising him in response. "I think Jacob is getting a little bit over-excited," Labour's leader in the House of Lords Baroness Smith quipped, while fellow Labourite Lord Hunt scoffed at his "silly threats".