Government defeated in key Brexit vote - here's how the day unfolded
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Your support makes all the difference.The Government has been defeated by Conservative rebels and Labour MPs in a critical vote on its key piece of Brexit legislation.
MPs amended the EU Withdrawal Bill against Theresa May's will, so guaranteeing Parliament a "meaningful" vote on any Brexit deal she agrees with Brussels.
Ms May's whips applied heavy pressure on Conservative rebels who remained defiant in the Commons throughout the day and in the end the Government was defeated by 309 votes to 305, a margin of just four votes.
Here is how the day unfolded.
Richmond MP Rishi Sunak asks Q, one of the brightest sparks in the 2015 Tory intake #PMQs
Conservative "mutnineer" @sarahwollaston asks PM to give guarantee that all EU nationals working in NHS will be able to stay after Brexit #PMQs
And a brilliant question. A massive issue for carers like myself, who want to ensure their family member can still… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
Tory MP Sarah Wollaston asks will the PM support EU citizens working in the NHS and social care sector in Britain. May says it's absolutely right that they are giving assurances.
Theresa May refuses to back down
on "meaningful vote" amendment.
May is refusing to give into concessions demanded by Tory backbenchers on the Withdrawal Bill this evening. She claims it will prevent and smooth and orderly Brexit.
More on this story here:
PRIME MINISTER’S QUESTIONS VERDICT
While it was quite a subdued affair at Prime Minister’s Questions this week, Jeremy Corbyn clearly came off better. Tackling the Government on homelessness – something that has gone up by around 50 per cent since 2010 – May found it difficult to defend the indefensible.
Corbyn devoted all of his questions to housing, avoiding a scattergun approach to different topics, which was quite effective. The Prime Minister hit back by reeling off statistics from the last Labour government – an attack that appears to becoming slightly tedious considering the Conservatives have been in Governemnt since the beginning of the decade.
Elsewhere, May also insisted at the weekly session that MPs will be given a vote on the the final Brexit deal. Her comments come as faces the prospect of a serious defeat in the Commons on Wednesday evening after the Tory rebel Dominic Grieve said he believed he has enough support to inflict defeat on the Government.
While he has requested a concession from the Government to avoid a vote later, May was not forthcoming. “We will put the final withdrawal agreement between the UK and the EU to a vote in both Houses of Parliament before it comes into force.”
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