PM defeats Tory rebels over vote on her Brexit deal

THERESA May faced down a bid to tie her hands over Brexit negotiations last night as a rebellion by diehard Tory Remainers descended into chaos and infighting. The Government saw off an attempt by MPs to amend the Brexit Bill in order to force a ‘meaningful vote’ on the eventual deal struck with Brussels.

Tory rebels had demanded the power to send the Prime Minister back to the negotiating table if Parliament rejects the final Brexit agreement.

They objected to the idea that they would only to get to vote on the deal on a ‘take it or leave it basis’.

But last night this amendment was defeated by 326 votes to 293. The legislation, which is needed to trigger Brexit, now goes forward for a final round of votes in the Commons tonight before heading for the Lords.

As tempers frayed among Remainers, former chancellor Kenneth Clarke accused rebel leader Dominic Grieve of capitulating as he indicated he would vote with the Government. Former minister Claire Perry, one of seven Tory MPs to vote against the Government, lashed out at ‘hysterical’ pro-Brexit MPs, who were ‘like jihadis’ in their refusal to accept compromise on Britain’s exit from the EU.

Former education secretary Nicky Morgan, known as Ms U-turn, flipflopped repeatedly during the debate, initially saying she would rebel, before announcing she would back the Government, only to finally abstain.

Some rebels seized on confirmation by Brexit minister David Jones that MPs will get a binding vote on the deal

‘Holding a gun to Parliament’s head’

before it goes for approval by the European Parliament. The vote could come as early as the autumn of 2018 and would give MPs the opportunity to reject the deal.

But Downing Street last night made it clear that Britain would simply leave the EU without a trade deal. Sources said there was no question of Mrs May returning to the negotiating table.

Mrs May announced last month that MPs would get a final vote. But confirmation yesterday appeared to send pro-Brussels MPs into confusion.

Labour’s Brexit spokesman Sir Keir Starmer claimed that Mr Jones’s comments amounted to a ‘ huge concession’.

But fellow Labour MPs said the vote was meaningless. Former Europe spokesman Pat McFadden said the Government’s refusal meant the vote was ‘not meaningful’.

He added: ‘A concession on timing that does not allow us to require the government to go back [to the negotiating table] is simply holding a gun to Parliament’s head a few months earlier.’

Former shadow chancellor Chris Leslie said: ‘The Government’s so- called concession falls short of giving Parliament a meaningful vote.

‘And on the nightmare scenario – that we could leave the EU with no deal at all, and face damaging barriers to trade with Europe – it seems Parliament could have no say whatsoever.’

Mrs Morgan publicly agonised over whether to support the Government or rebel.

Explaining her decision to abstain, she said she believed Mr Jones had made a conces- sion but thought it had been ‘undermined’ by No10.

Government chief whip Gavin Williamson was later seen remonstrating angrily with Mrs Morgan over her failure to back the Government.

The row came during the debate on the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill, which was rushed forward after the Supreme Court ruled last month that Mrs May required the consent of Parliament to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, needed to leave the EU. The Prime Minister has vowed to invoke Article 50 by the end of next month, setting off a process that will see the UK leave the EU two years later.

Ministers face a further parliamentary test this evening when MPs vote on changes that would force Mrs May to guarantee the rights of EU citizens already living in the UK.

The Prime Minister said this week that she wanted an ‘early’ deal on the issue, but warned the amendment would make it harder to secure reciprocal rights for the 1.2million British citizens living abroad.

In the end, just seven Tory MPs rebelled against the Government: Mr Clarke, Miss Perry, former business minister Anna Soubry, and backbenchers Bob Neill, Heidi Allen, Antoinette Sandbach and Andrew Tyrie.

Mrs Morgan and Ben Howlett abstained, along with former chancellor George Osborne.