Theresa May has vowed to face down unelected peers over the Brexit Bill and stick to her timetable for triggering Article 50.

Downing Street has insisted the PM's plans are 'unchanged' despite the stinging defeat in the House of Lords.

Peers overwhelmingly passed an amendment to the crucial legislation demanding an immediate guarantee of rights for EU nationals already in the UK.

The bigger-than-expected defeat by 358 votes to 256 came at the hands of an alliance of Labour, Liberal Democrats, crossbenchers and a handful of rebel Tories - and despite a last-ditch plea from Home Secretary Amber Rudd.

Jubilant Remainers claimed today that there are around 30 Conservative MPs prepared to back the change when it returns to the Commons.

However, No10 made clear Mrs May is still confident that the amendment will be rejected by the elected House - as it was last month.

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The House of Lords tonight overwhelmingly passed an amendment to the crucial legislation that would force the PM to make a commitment before a deal is struck with Brussels

Viscount Hailsham, who as Douglas Hogg served in Thatcher's Cabinet, was among the Tory big beasts who signalled they would support the change during three hours of debate

That would leave the way clear for the Bill to receive royal assent, with March 15 being pencilled in as the earliest date for Article 50 to be invoked.

Speaking on a visit to Copenhagen today, Brexit Secretary David Davis said: 'The process is on track. The most important thing is that we'll conclude in time to present the Article 50 letter and we'll do so both in the interests of ourselves and the European Union.'

The spectacle of unelected peers defying the will of the Commons to try to impose terms on Mrs May's negotiations caused fury among Brexiteers.

Viscount Hailsham, who as Douglas Hogg served in Thatcher's Cabinet, and former deputy PM Lord Heseltine were among the Tory grandees who signalled they would support the change.

The debate on the amendment to the crucial legislation was far more bad-tempered than most sessions in the House of Lords, which prides itself on a genteel atmosphere

SEVEN TORY TURNCOATS REBEL Seven Tory peers last night joined the Establishment backlash against Brexit. Baroness Altmann, Lord Bowness and Lord Cormack all voted against the Government – along with Viscount Hailsham, Lord Livingston of Parkhead, Earl Selborne and Baroness Wheatcroft. Four former Whitehall mandarins, two bishops, ex-Commons Speaker Betty Boothroyd and former MI5 chief Baroness Manningham-Buller also backed the revolt. The ex-mandarins were former civil service chief Lord O'Donnell – who caused anger by criticising the decision to create two Brexit departments – Lord Kerslake, Lord Turnbull and Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court. They were joined by Lord Bishop of Newcastle the Rt Rev Christine Hardman and Lord Bishop of Leeds the Rt Rev Nicholas Baines, who has written a blog saying: 'The people have spoken, but the concerns of nearly half of them also need to be heard.' Meanwhile dozens of pro-Remain MPs face losing their seats at the next election because their constituents overwhelmingly backed Brexit, it has been claimed. A study found 69 Labour and Lib Dem MPs have smaller majorities than the Leave margin of victory in their areas. Among the most vulnerable are deputy Labour leader Tom Watson and former party leader Ed Miliband. According to the research, by campaign group Get Britain Out, the Tories would be the main beneficiary of a potential pro-Brexit swing. Advertisement

But during three hours of debate Tory ex-leader Lord Howard warned that they should respect the verdict of the Commons, which decided last month that Mrs May's hands should not be tied on the issue.

Downing Street had insisted beforehand that it was still hoping to get the two-clause Bill through parliament unamended.

Mrs May will now have to choose between trying to overturn the measure in the Commons, or agreeing to guarantee the rights of 3.2 million EU citizens living here - even though Germany and other EU countries are refusing to give similar reassurances to 1.2 million Brits living in Europe before the formal Brexit talks begin.

In unusually bad-tempered clashes in the Upper House, Lord Hogg - who stepped down as an MP in 2010 after it emerged he tried to claim expenses to clean the moat at his country estate - told peers: 'The moral high ground is often the best ground on which to fight a campaign.'

Ministers' hopes that crossbenchers may choose to sit out the vote were dealt a blow when Lord Hannay, a former ambassador to the UN, and Lord Kerslake, former head of the civil service, said he would support the amendment.

Labour peer and broadcaster Lord Bragg complained that Brexit would be a 'disaster' and urged peers to send a message that EU citizens are welcome in the UK.

But Lord Howard said while he favoured a unilateral move to guarantee rights, peers should respect the considered view of the Commons.

'The question which we have to ask ourselves today is this - how can we best help the EU nationals who are resident in this country?' he said.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT FOR THE BREXIT BILL? The Lords is completing the second day of the 'committee stage' of the crucial legislation tonight. The House will give the Bill its 'third reading' next Tuesday and send it back to the Commons. At that point the government will have to consider whether to accept the amendment or amendments that have been passed - or get MPs to overturn them. That could trigger a bout of 'ping pong' - where disputed legislation is passed back and forth between the Houses. By convention the unelected Upper Chamber is meant to give way in such situations, recognising the primacy of the elected Commons. Advertisement

'The best way in which we can help them is to bring the uncertainty of their position to an end as quickly as possible.

'The best way of bringing that uncertainty to an end as quickly as possible is to pass this Bill as quickly as possible and to activate Article 50 as quickly as possible.'

Former chancellor Lord Lawson accused those supporting the amendment of 'virtue signalling'.

Lord Tebbit, another Cabinet minister under Thatcher, insisted peers should put the interests of Britons above those of 'foreigners'.

To boos from Labour and Lib Dem peers, he said: 'It seems to me that the first duty of this Parliament of the United Kingdom is to care for the interests of the citizens of this kingdom.

'If we are to be concerned about anybody's rights after Brexit, to live anywhere on this continent of Europe, it should be our concern for the rights of British people to live freely and peacefully in those other parts.

'Somehow or other today we seem to be thinking of nothing but the rights of foreigners.'

Dismissing criticism of his comments, he said: 'People of nationalities of other countries within the Union are foreigners.'

He added: 'Why is everybody here today so excited about an amendment that looks after the foreigners and not the British?'

Former Leader of the Lords Lord Strathclyde warned that voting for the amendment would 'put at risk the future of a million British citizens living in the EU' by weakening Mrs May's negotiating hand.

A spokeswoman for the Brexit Department expressed 'disappointment' the Lords had chosen to 'amend a Bill that the Commons passed without amendment'.

'Our position on EU nationals has repeatedly been made clear. We want to guarantee the rights of EU citizens who are already living in Britain, and the rights of British nationals living in other member states, as early as we can,' the spokeswoman added.

Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer hailed the defeat as a 'really welcome and important step forward'.

Labour peer and broadcaster Lord Bragg complained that Brexit would be a 'disaster' and urged peers to send a message that EU citizens are welcome in the UK

Lord Tebbit, another Cabinet minister under Thatcher, insisted peers should put the interests of Britons above those of 'foreigners'

'Labour believe that EU nationals should not be used as bargaining chips in Brexit negotiations. There is a growing consensus that this must be resolved before Article 50 is triggered, and the Prime Minister is now increasingly isolated,' he said.

Labour MP Gisela Stuart, chair of the pro-Brexit Change Britain group, said: 'There are of course issues which need to be resolved, such as the status of EU nationals, but these should be done separately to the bill.'

Speaking on the BBC's Today programme this morning, crossbench peer Baroness Meacher said complaints about the Lords taking a stand were 'ridiculous'.

She added: 'We understand that there are 30 Tories who are saying that they will vote to support this amendment.

'Obviously the Tory whips in the Commons are going to work extremely hard with all sorts of bribes to get these people to vote with the Government.'

However, Brexiteers pointed out that the government had won a Commons vote on the issue of rights for EU nationals by 42 votes last month. There were only three rebels on that occasion.

In a highly unusual move, Miss Rudd wrote to all peers before last night's vote urging them not to not to back the change.

She said there was 'absolutely no question of treating EU citizens with anything other than the utmost respect' – and said Mrs May wanted to make the issue 'a priority' in negotiation.

But Labour's leader in the Lords, Baroness Smith, dismissed the letter, describing the government's approach as 'shameful'.

The outcome of the crucial vote was delivered by Lord Speaker Lord Fowler tonight

The bigger-than-expected defeat by 358 votes to 256 came at the hands of an alliance of Labour, Liberal Democrats, crossbenchers and rebel Tories

It is the first change to the Brexit Bill, which gives Mrs May authority to trigger Article 50, after it passed the Commons unamended.

The amendment states: 'Within three months of exercising the power under section 1(1), Ministers of the Crown must bring forward proposals to ensure that citizens of another EU or European Economic Area country and their family members, who are legally resident in the United Kingdom on the day on which this Act is passed, continue to be treated in the same way with regards to their EU derived-rights and, in the case of residency, their potential to acquire such rights in the future.'

Lord Howard said he supported the principle of guaranteeing rights for EU nationals, but warned against the unelected Upper House going against the will of the Commons

Lord Lawson accused peers who are backing the amendment of 'virtue signalling'

The Lords is completing the second day of the 'committee stage' of the crucial legislation today.

The House will give the Bill its 'third reading' next Tuesday and send it back to the Commons.

At that point the government will have to consider whether to accept any amendments that have been passed - or get MPs to overturn them.

That could trigger a bout of 'ping pong' - where disputed legislation is passed back and forth between the Houses.

By convention the unelected Upper Chamber is meant to give way in such situations, recognising the primacy of the elected Commons.

Baroness Hayter, Labour's Brexit spokeswoman in the Lords, said it was 'unacceptable' to leave EU nationals in limbo during Brexit negotiations

Theresa May, pictured leaving 10 Downing Street today, is pushing legislation through parliament that will allow her to trigger Brexit