May's Brexit Bill faces second Lords' defeat amid parliamentary scrutiny concerns

UK's House of Lords is predicted to hand another defeat to Prime Minister Theresa May's government by supporting a further amendment to her would-be brief Brexit Bill.

On Tuesday, the Upper House warned in a report that May's government should not be able to scrap elements of EU laws after the UK has quit the EU, at least without proper parliamentary scrutiny.

It wanted to limit "constitutional risk" flowing on from the so-called Great Repeal Bill, which would end the primacy of EU law in the UK if it were passed.

Many of the country's Bremain voters -- who unsuccessfully voted in June last year to keep the UK in the EU -- feared a large-scale paring of hard-won laws under a Tory regime.

The latest twist came after May was defeated in Lords over the rights of EU nationals in the UK.

It also followed her successive failures in the courts in a bid to use Royal Prerogative in triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, a move that would have bypassed parliament.

The UK is a parliamentary democracy, as opposed to the incorrect belief among a good number of Brexiters that it is a direct democracy.

Meantime, in its report, the Lords' constitutional committee recommended retarding the scope of the delegated powers granted to the government under the Great Repeal Bill.

It further suggested implementing processes to ensure that parliament had on-going control over the exercise of those powers.

May's path towards securing a legislative base for enacting Article 50 has been rocky, to say the least, but she was nonetheless expected to begin the up to two-year formal divorce proceedings later this month.

This was the result of the Brexit vote last year, which has polarised the country along remain and leave lines.

It has also seen the once-great sterling plumb embarrassing depths against a raft of other currencies, sending inflation higher and hurting the disposable income of ordinary working people.

The prospect of a so-called hard Brexit potentially damaging to the UK economy in both the short and long terms has sent fears rippling through business, political and community circles, regardless of political allegiance.

If hard Brexit did happen, UK would default to unfavourable World Trade Organisation rules.

May's Brexit plans ran into very public criticism last week from several well-regarded Tory icons, underscoring the acrimonious mood within her own party, which now appeared deeply fractured along Bremain and Brexit battle lines.