International trade secretary Liam Fox snaps at peers for “thwarting the will of the people” over Brexit vote

Liam Fox has accused Lords of trying to “thwart the will of the British people”, after the government suffered a major defeat at their hands yesterday.

Three amendments were passed by the unelected upper house last night, with one strengthening parliament’s hand if it rejects the final Brexit deal.

The amendment, which was supported by 19 Tory rebels, means parliament could now force negotiators back to Brussels if they do not approve the terms put to them in October.

Speaking ahead of a regular Cabinet meeting, the International Trade Secretary said such a move could lead to the UK being in the EU “indefinitely”.

The pro-Leave minister told the Today Programme: “The public voted in the referendum, they voted to leave the European Union, the House of Commons passed the legislation to allow that to happen. It is not acceptable for an unelected house to try to block the democratic will of the British people.”

Forcing the prime minister back to Brussels if parliamentarians do not like the final deal risks “delaying exit from the EU indefinitely,” he added.

Fox also slammed any suggestion of remaining in the customs union after Brexit, saying it was a bad move “for a number of reasons, the main reason being that we would be in a worse position than we are today”.

The Cabinet minister added: “If we were in a customs union with the European Union we would have to accept what the EU negotiated in terms of market access to the UK without the UK having a voice.”