THE government has said it is prepared to deal with any upsurge in hate crime following the Supreme Court judgment in the legal battle over Brexit.

Home Office minister Baroness Williams of Trafford assured peers that lessons were learned after the sharp rise in incidents reported in the wake of last year's EU referendum.

She was responding to concerns raised by Labour in the House of Lords of the need to avoid a repeat of the "spike" in hate crime witnessed after the June vote.

Shadow leader Baroness Smith of Basildon also warned against attacks by the media on judges following the court decision.

The highest court in the land will rule on January 24 whether to reject or allow a Government appeal against a High Court ruling which blocked the royal prerogative being used to trigger Britain's exit from the European Union without Parliament having a say.

The ruling was won by campaigners led by investment manager Gina Miller and hairdresser Deir Dos Santos.

In a case of major constitutional importance, three High Court judges unanimously decided last November that Prime Minister Theresa May did not have authority to use Crown "prerogative powers" to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to start the two-year process of negotiating the UK's departure from the EU.

The government is asking a record 11 Supreme Court justices to overturn the decision and rule the use of prerogative powers did not interfere with the sovereignty of Parliament.

Responding to a question raised by Labour in the House of Lords, Lady Williams said: "We are working with the police and community organisations to monitor any changes in hate crime levels."

She also highlighted action taken to tackle hate crime.

Lady Smith said: "All of us want to maintain good relations with our EU neighbours as we move forward on Brexit and we do not want another spike in hate crime as seen following the referendum, or the attacks on judges following the court decision."

Responding, Lady Williams revealed the Home Secretary was meeting with consular staff from all the embassies of EU member states.

She added: "We all have a duty to behave in a responsible way, but it is in society, being not just tolerant but welcoming of the various communities that live in our country, that we will make progress and the media are part and parcel of that."

Answering a question from Tory peer Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, Lady Williams said: "What this Government is, is prepared and learned the lessons from some of the events that we have seen in the last year."

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Paddick, a former Metropolitan Police commander, said the latest crime figures showed an increase of about 200 hate crimes a week in 2015/16 compared with the previous year.

He also pointed out there had been a 40 per cent increase in hate crime since 2013/14.

Lord Paddick added: "This is not a spike. This is a trend.

"And police action is simply addressing the symptoms.

"What assessment has the government made of the causes of these increases and does the government believe, as we do, that the increase in populism and nationalism is behind these significant and worrying increases?"

Lady Williams said: "The reasons behind some of the hate crime were many and varied."

She also pointed out the numbers of hate crime reported were now down to pre-referendum levels.

The minister later added: "It was not Brexit per se. It was Brexit being used as an occasion to promote prejudice and to promote hatred."