May humiliated in damaging Brexit votes

MPS INFLICTED a series of stunning defeats on Theresa May over Brexit yesterday, finding Ministers in contempt of Parliament for the first time in recent history and giving the Commons more say over the withdrawal plan if her deal is voted down.

A humiliated Government will today publish its legal advice on the under-fire Brexit deal after being found in contempt for withholding the guidance in defiance of a Labour motion passed unopposed by MPs weeks ago.

And in another crushing defeat, senior Tory Dominic Grieve won support for his proposal to allow MPs to exercise more control over the Government’s Brexit plans if the deal is voted down on Tuesday, as expected, with the Prime Minister’s parliamentary authority hanging by a thread.

In dramatic scenes in Westminster, several Tory Remainers backed Mr Grieve’s amendment while the Democratic Unionists, which prop up the minority administration, tested their “confidence and supply” deal to the limit by voting to find Ministers in contempt.

Mrs May was then forced to open five days of historic talks on her embattled deal having already lost the Commons votes, as Parliament flexed its muscles.

If her deal fails to get through next week, she will have 21 days to come back to the Commons to outline what happens next.

Mr Grieve’s plan will allow MPs to make amendments to that in order to try and influence events.

It is being seen as a vehicle for attempts to force a second referendum or block a no-deal Brexit.

Former Attorney General

Mr Grieve said his amendment would “cure the anomaly” of how to proceed if the Brexit deal fails to pass and a “means of continuing the debate”, which “any rightthinking member of this House would think to be the proper procedure and process to adopt”.

Leeds Central MP and Commons Brexit Committee chair Hilary Benn said the Government “has sown what it will reap” in the vote on the deal next week.

The Labour MP added: “It is essential the House of Commons has the opportunity, if the deal is voted down next Tuesday, to give itself a voice to express a view about what happens next.

“What (Dominic Grieve’s) amendment does is remove the obstacle to that.”

However, prominent Brexiteer Steve Baker said that any such future amendments would not be binding on the Government and would not tie its hands to changing course over Brexit.

Regarding the move by Mr Grieve, Mr Baker said it “allows for an amendable motion 21 days after a Government defeat of their dreadful deal.

“Whatever the outcome of the amendment, it is not legally binding on the PM. Acts are law, motions are motions. The executive still decides how to proceed.”

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom had told Mr Grieve to “focus on the matter at hand” rather than what would happen if the deal falls.

But with Mr Grieve’s amendment approved by 321 votes to 299, a majority of 22, the Government had suffered its third defeat of the day, each with a growing majority.

Earlier, MPs rejected a Government amendment to the crossparty contempt motion by 311 votes to 307, a majority of four.

And the Commons supported the cross-party motion to find Ministers in contempt of Parliament over its failure to publish in full the legal advice on Brexit submitted to the Cabinet by 311 votes to 293, a majority of 18.

The main Brexit debate continued well into the night.