Theresa May suffered another serious blow in her Brexit battle, as peers inflicted four embarrassing defeats on the government in a single day.
But the PM isn’t the only party leader dealing with trouble in the ranks, as a crunch Lords vote on the government’s beleaguered EU Withdrawal bill revealed.
A total of 83 Labour peers voted for an amendment tabled by Lord Alli which would see the UK remain part of the European Economic Area - and effectively the single market.
The party’s frontbench abstained, toeing the line with Jeremy Corbyn’s position as leader, but a heavy lobbying campaign by pro-Europe groups saw scores of backbenchers break away to defeat the government regardless.
Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock pointed out that MPs were whipped to vote in favour of an amendment in line with the one proposed by Lord Alli back in December.
He argued that remaining part of the EEA was the best way to avoid a “cliff-edge of huge and costly disruption” to the UK economy.
A total of 50 crossbench peers, 17 Conservatives and 84 Lib Dems backed the Labour rebels, in what MP Chuka Umunna described as a “stunning victory”.
“Now it will be for the Commons to decide,” he added.
“I hope that the Labour front bench will support UK membership of the single market through the EEA, which is what the overwhelming majority of our members and voters want.”
Jeremy Corbyn has said he wants to negotiate a “new, strong relationship” with the single market when the UK leaves the EU in March next year.
The full list of Labour peers who voted for the EEA amendment:
Adams of Craigielea, Baroness
Adonis, Lord
Alli, Lord
Anderson of Swansea, Lord
Andrews, Baroness
Armstrong of Hill Top, Baroness
Bach, Lord
Bakewell, Baroness
Berkeley, Lord
Bradley, Lord
Bragg, Lord
Brennan, Lord
Brooke of Alverthorpe, Lord
Browne of Ladyton, Lord
Carter of Coles, Lord
Cashman, Lord
Chandos, Viscount
Corston, Baroness
Crawley, Baroness
Cunningham of Felling, Lord
Darzi of Denham, Lord
Davies of Stamford, Lord
Desai, Lord
Drayson, Lord
Dubs, Lord
Elder, Lord
Evans of Watford, Lord
Faulkner of Worcester, Lord
Foulkes of Cumnock, Lord
Giddens, Lord
Golding, Baroness
Gordon of Strathblane, Lord
Hain, Lord
Hanworth, Viscount
Haskel, Lord
Haworth, Lord
Henig, Baroness
Hunt of Chesterton, Lord
Jay of Paddington, Baroness
Judd, Lord
Kennedy of The Shaws, Baroness
Kinnock of Holyhead, Baroness
Kinnock, Lord
Knight of Weymouth, Lord
Lawrence of Clarendon, Baroness
Layard, Lord
Levy, Lord
Liddell of Coatdyke, Baroness
Liddle, Lord
Lister of Burtersett, Baroness
Livermore, Lord
Mandelson, Lord
Massey of Darwen, Baroness
Maxton, Lord
McDonagh, Baroness
Mendelsohn, Lord
Morgan of Huyton, Baroness
Morgan, Lord
Morris of Handsworth, Lord
Morris of Yardley, Baroness
Nye, Baroness
Pendry, Lord
Pitkeathley, Baroness
Puttnam, Lord
Quin, Baroness
Ramsay of Cartvale, Baroness
Reid of Cardowan, Lord
Rogers of Riverside, Lord
Rooker, Lord
Royall of Blaisdon, Baroness
Sawyer, Lord
Smith of Leigh, Lord
Snape, Lord
Soley, Lord
Stone of Blackheath, Lord
Tomlinson, Lord
Triesman, Lord
Turnberg, Lord
Watts, Lord
Whitaker, Baroness
Woolmer of Leeds, Lord
Young of Norwood Green, Lord
Young of Old Scone, Baroness