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The House of Lords leader, Natalie Evans, urged peers to reject the amendment. “It is not right that your lordships’ house could have a veto on the deal simply by refusing to consider a motion,” she said, saying the alternative amendment by Hailsham contained “major flaws”.

Several former Tory cabinet ministers also spoke out against the amendment. The former leader, Michael Howard, said it “would be to confer upon parliament a negotiation power which has always resided in the hands of the executive in our country”.

Former chancellor Norman Lamont said the amendment was unnecessary because parliament would always have the power to act in the event of no deal. “Obviously it would come to parliament, obviously it would be a major event,” he said. “Do we really have to write it down with all these complicated provisions?”