Labour benches cheered with delight

Steven Swinford

Kate Mccann

FOR Labour, it was a moment of raucous celebration. Hours after Tory rebels helped them inflict an historic defeat on the Government over Brexit, the Christmas Party in Jeremy Corbyn’s office was in full swing with music so loud it could be heard reverberating outside the building.

For the Tories, however, it was a moment of bitter recrimination.

While the 11 pro-european rebels boasted that their rebellion had enabled Parliament to “take control” of Brexit, many of their colleagues were absolutely furious.

The rebels further incensed their Eurosceptic colleagues when they took to the Pugin room in the Commons and drank a bottle of white wine.

As the dust settled the Prime Minister, her Cabinet and Chief Whip were left asking the question – where did it go wrong? The dangers were obvious from the start. In September Dominic Grieve, a pro-european Tory and former attorney general, tabled an amendment demanding that the Government give Parliament a legal guarantee of a final vote on the Brexit deal. With the support of nine other Tory MPS, the “meaningful vote” amendment soon drew the support of Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

In a bid to defuse the rebellion David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, made clear in the Commons that the Government was prepared to offer a binding vote on the final Brexit deal.

The concession, however, was not enough and after weeks of fruitless negotiations, matters came to a head in the most brutal fashion yesterday.

In a bid to make a breakthrough, the Prime Minister took to inviting the Tory rebels into Downing Street for one-to-one discussions about the bill.

“They were trying to pick us off,” one rebel said. “It didn’t work.”

It became clear that the Government was not going to back down. Accepting the amendment, the Prime Minister told Tory rebels, would

put a “smooth and orderly” Brexit at risk. By the time the debate started at 1pm, the mood was toxic.

When Bernard Jenkin, a senior Eurosceptic Tory MP, made an intervention he found himself heckled by pro-european Tory MPS on all sides. “Read it [the bill] and sit down,” they shouted at him.

As rebel after rebel made clear that they were not backing down, the Government attempted one last climbdown. Less than half an hour before the vote was due to take place Dominic Raab, the justice minister,

pledged to include a commitment to a legally binding vote at a later stage in the passage of the bill.

Of the 16 Tories poised to rebel, some were swayed. Paul Masterton and George Freeman both abstained on the basis of the pledge. Vicky Ford, the Tory MP for Chelmsford, appeared in two minds and seemed on the verge of tears. In the end she was ushered inside the Noe lobby by Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, who put his arm around her back and smiled at her warmly as they walked inside. It was not enough. Mrs May lost the vote by 309 votes to 305 with the result being greeted with cheers from the Labour benches as it was announced.

The Government’s downfall did not just come from its rebels. A mere two Eurosceptic Labour MPS supported the Government.

Within moments of the vote, the recriminations began. Sir Desmond Swayne, a former Tory minister, called his colleagues “useful idiots” and said their “real motive” was to delay Brexit.

Mr Grieve insisted after the vote that it had never been his intention to defeat the Government.

He said: “Do I otherwise feel good about it? No, it’s the first time I’ve ever had to rebel on a national issue against the Government… I have to say it was the only thing open for me to do and I’d like to emphasise – it doesn’t stop Brexit in any way.”

The defeat is likely to sour Theresa May’s Brussels summit today. Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator, gave Mrs May a taste of what lies in store for her late last night, hailing her defeat as a “great day for democracy”.