Yorkshire Tories rebel as Government narrowly avoids defeat over genocide clause in Trade Bill

MPs voted 318 to 303, majority 15, to remove two Lords amendments from the Trade Bill, including one which would have forced ministers to withdraw from any free trade agreement with any country which the High Court ruled is committing genocide.

It was replaced by a Government-backed compromise amendment aimed at giving Parliament a vote on whether to pursue agreements with such countries.

But Lord Alton, who put forward the genocide amendment, said after the vote that he was preparing to re-table the change “to enable the elected House to have the opportunity to vote on a fundamental issue, denying them that right makes a mockery of democracy”.

He said: “Despite throwing everything, including the kitchen sink, into persuading MPs to support their wrecking amendment, the Government majority was just 15. The Lords can now give the Commons the chance to vote on the Genocide amendment and should do so.”

Conservative former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and former minister Nus Ghani led the rebels, and accused the Government of using “arcane” procedural games to frustrate them.

The Government packaged the Lords amendments on genocide together, along with the compromise proposal, thereby denying MPs a straight up and down vote.

Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans ruled the move was in order when concerns were raised on the Tory benches.

Speaking earlier in the day, Wakefield MP Imran Ahmad Khan - one of those who rebelled - said he was “true blue Tory, patriotic through and through, and loyal to my party”.

He added: “But I must say my love of party is trumped by my love of humanity, and genocide is not a game we should be playing party politics with.”

He said: “There’s clearly a desire across the House to have a vote on the genocide amendemnet, and the Government managers can wrap it up in whatever elegant sounding excuses they wish, but it comes to the same thing - we’ve been denied a democratcic vote on something as important as genocide.”

The vote also means that Parliament will not get a greater say in future trade deals in terms of environmental protections, after concern was raised over food standards and the pricing out of British farmers.

Some 13 Conservatives voted against the Government in a bid to retain a Lords amendment aimed at securing a strengthened role for Parliament to approve future trade deals, including Yorkshire parliamentarians David Davis (Haltemprice and Howden), Jason McCartney (Colne Valley), and Julian Sturdy (York Outer).

While Mr Ahmad Khan and Mr Davis rebelled in the bid to keep the Lords amendment on genocide in the Trade Bill.