Lib Dems protect British jobs with vote in House of Lords

British jobs should be protected, following a vote in the House of Lords. Liberal Democrats helped defeat the Government and voted to keep Britain in a European Customs Union, which is key to Britain's future prosperity.

An amendment on the customs union (supported by the Liberal Democrats and some Crossbenchers, Labour and Conservative peers) was passed by 348 votes to 225.

The defeat forces the government to lay a report before Parliament outlining the steps taken to negotiate a customs union as part of the framework for a future UK-EU relationship, and prevents the repeal of the European Communities Act 1972 until these steps have been taken.

This is a hugely significant moment. The House of Lords has come together to show the government that remaining in a customs union is key to the UK's future prosperity.

Securing this win on a cross-party basis rams home how out of touch the government has been on this issue and that they drastically need to change tack from the destructive hard Brexit they are pursuing.