LONDON - The British Labour government was last night defeated for the first time since it came to power when the Lords voted by 101 to 94 to back a Tory call for devolution referendums in Scotland and Wales to be held on the same day. But the move is certain to be reversed by the overwhelming Labour majority in the Commons.Lords in the face of Labour's pledge to abolish hereditary peers' voting rights.
The government has made clear that it wishes to hold the polls in the autumn with the Scottish referendum coming first. Devolution opponents have expressed fears that this may be because ministers are more confident of winning the Scottish vote and hope this will give momentum to victory in the later Welsh poll.