A Cabinet Minister has confirmed that the Government will "resist" a change to the Brexit Bill forcing the UK to guarantee the rights of EU nationals living in Britain.
Theresa May suffered her first significant parliamentary defeat over the Bill last night when the House of Lords voted by a majority of more than 100 to add the amendment.
David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, said ministers will fight all attempts to make the Government's negotiating position tougher.
Speaking in the Commons during business questions, he said: "We will return to the EU Bill as rapidly as possible after the House of Lords has finished debating it and given it its third reading.
"And the Government certainly remains of the view that the Bill is straightforward, it does no more than confer authority on the Prime Minister, required by the courts, to initiate triggering Article 50 of the treaty.
"And we will, therefore, seek to resist changes that would make that negotiating task more difficult."
The Bill is expected to complete its passage through the Lords by March 7 and then return to the Commons, where the Government is expected to try to overturn amendments added to it.
