Tory rebels could hand power to Labour and also land Britain with a bad Brexit deal

SIR – Do the Conservatives realise that divided parties do not win elections, and will the rebels who defeated the Government on an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill on Wednesday be satisfied not only to lose power but also for Britain to get a very bad deal on Brexit ? John Roberts

Oxshott, Surrey

SIR – Parliament gets a “meaningful” vote now on any deal with the EU. What have the Tory rebels gained?

The UK negotiators’ hand has been weakened (the EU now knows they are not the final arbitrators) and a tight timescale has had more constraints added to it.

If, ultimately, Parliament rejects any agreement, do the rebels really suppose that the EU will come back to the negotiating table or extend the Article 50 notice?

They may think they are being clever and their tinkering will keep Britain in the EU longer, but in reality their meddling increases the chance of one or both sides walking away, with the hardest of Brexits the outcome. Roger Gentry

Sutton at Hone, Kent

SIR – The 11 Conservative MPS who voted against the Government have provided a boost to the EU propaganda machine and put a spring in the step of Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader.

If Britain is to escape the clutches of an undemocratic EU superstate, it will need the support of all MPS who believe in democracy. Gerald Heath

Corsham, Wiltshire

SIR – The result was certainly a good one for parliamentary sovereignty – and praise be to all MPS who voted for it. Peter Knott

Kidderminster, Worcestershire

SIR – The hypocrisy of the Conservative MPS who voted against the EU Withdrawal Bill is breathtaking. They assert they are defending parliamentary supremacy, but for decades EU regulations and directives were nodded through by Parliament without the slightest scrutiny or objection.

Their actions are another step towards undermining Brexit, and the onset of a Corbyn government. David Saunders

Sidmouth, Devon

SIR – I note that the 11 Tories claim that they rebelled to show that Parliament is in control. Who are they trying to kid? They did this purely for their own egos and I hope their constituents remember this at the next election. Charles Penfold

Ulverston, Cumbria

SIR – Sadly, it is unlikely that any of the constituencies represented by the 11 Tory malcontents will have the moral fibre to deselect and replace them with people who will act according to the wishes of the voters. John Porter

Poole, Dorset SIR – The 11 Conservative MPS boasting that Parliament had “taken control” have, in fact, voted for the unelected bureaucrats of the EU to “take control”. Is that what they really want? Simon Mcilroy

Croydon, Surrey

SIR – The “meaningful vote” outcome was welcomed by Guy Verhofstadt, the EU Parliament’s representative on the Brexit negotiations. That tells you all you need to know about the damage done by Dominic Grieve, Anna Soubry et al. Phil Coutie

Exeter, Devon

SIR – You report that Mr Verhofstadt said that the British Government’s defeat was a great day for democracy. What does the EU know about democracy? One reason I voted Leave was that I was never offered an opportunity to vote for Messrs Von Rompuy, Juncker, Tusk and others. David Booth

Macclesfield, Cheshire