Theresa May's Brexit deal branded '˜a terrible shambles' by Tory peer

Lord Patten of Barnes warned that arguments over the EU were set to “pollute British politics” for a long time to come even if the deal was agreed to in tomorrow’s crucial Commons vote.

He told the House of Lords that “civil wars” in political parties did “one hell of a lot of collateral damage” not just to the Tories but the country.

In the weeks ahead “we should do what we can to limit the amount of collateral damage” in a way that did not make Britain poorer or less influential in the world, Lord Patten said.

Lord Patten was speaking in the last of three days of debate on the Withdrawal Agreement in the Lords, with more than 130 peers scheduled to take part.

Peers will vote later tonight on a Labour motion urging MPs to “emphatically reject” a no-deal outcome and warning that the Government’s deal would damage the UK’s future economic prosperity, internal security and global influence.

Lord Patten criticised ministers for “flirting” with the prospect of a no-deal Brexit to threaten MPs ahead of tomorrow’s critical vote.

Tory former Cabinet minister Lord King of Bridgwater said there was plenty to criticise in the deal but overall the main objectives had been met and it was time for the country to come together and resolve the anger and hatred.

Democratic Unionist Party peer Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown said in 2016 UK voters had “given a clear instruction” to leave the EU, but since then there had been “those who have sought to thwart the will of the electorate much to the delight of those in Europe”.

Describing the Withdrawal Agreement as a “deeply flawed deal”, Lord McCrea said: “The Government allowed themselves to be pushed around by Dublin and the rest of Europe and is presenting a Withdrawal Agreement which would place a regulatory border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, contrary to the explicit pledges given by our Prime Minister.”

He added: “The backstop arrangement, that the EU has demanded, leaves the entire UK trapped until the EU decides to release it.”

Lord McCrea argued the hard border, which the contentious fallback mechanism was designed to prevent, was “a negotiating ploy on the part of the EU to secure their aims in the negotiations... encouraged and at the behest of the Irish Republic”.

“Let us honour our moral obligations and leave on March 29,” he said.

• Theresa May’s Brexit deal tonight suffered its first official parliamentary defeat as peers registered their opposition to it by 321 votes to 152, majority 169.