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As it happenedended

Brexit vote result - LIVE: Jeremy Corbyn tables vote of no confidence in Theresa May that could bring down government after historic 230-vote Commons defeat

Follow live updates from Westminster 

Benjamin Kentish
Political Correspondent
,Ashley Cowburn,Lizzy Buchan
Tuesday 15 January 2019 22:53 GMT
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MPs reject Theresa May's Brexit deal in overwhelming 432-202 majority

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MPs overwhelmingly rejected Theresa May’s divorce deal with the EU on Tuesday evening, plunging the Brexit process into chaos.

The defeat was widely expected, but the scale of the House of Commons’ vote – 432 votes against the government and 202 in support – was devastating for Ms May’s fragile leadership.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn put forward a confidence motion in the aftermath of the crushing loss, which made history as the biggest ever government defeat on the floor of the House of Commons.

The defeat by 230 votes easily beat the previous record of 166 votes, set in 1924 by the minority Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald.

Parliament finally delivered its verdict on the prime minister’s withdrawal agreement after months of debate, as crowds of both Leave and Remain protesters gathered outside parliament to express their anger.

Ms May insisted she intended to stay on, setting out plans for talks with senior parliamentarians in the hope of finding “genuinely negotiable” solutions which she can take to Brussels.

But she faces another crucial vote on Wednesday after the Labour leader moved to table a formal motion of no confidence in her government.

Senior ministers reportedly told top business leaders that a motion to delay the Article 50 process of leaving the EU is being prepared in a conference call following the vote defeat.

To follow events as they unfolded, see our live coverage below:

Benjamin Kentish15 January 2019 18:52

Theresa May says tonight is “the most significant vote that any of us will ever be part of in our political careers”, the result of which will “define our country for decades to come”.

She says MPs have to make a decision they “will have to justify and live with for many years to come”.

She says opponents of her deal will not be able to tell their constituents what they voted for beyond “uncertainty and division and the very real risk of no Brexit”.

Benjamin Kentish15 January 2019 18:58

Theresa May says MPs should fulfil their promise to voters rather than “break that promise and endanger trust in politics for a generation”.

She says MPs need to show “that our politics can and does deliver”.

Benjamin Kentish15 January 2019 18:59

Theresa May finishes by reminding MPs of their responsibility to voters and says that “with my whole heart I call on this House to discharge that responsibility together”.

Benjamin Kentish15 January 2019 19:01

NEW: Three of the four amendments we were expecting to be voted on will now not be. 

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, the SNP's Ian Blackford and Tory backbencher Sir Edward Leigh have all said they will not put their respective amendments to a vote. 

Instead MPs will only vote on one amendment, which has been tabled by Conservative MP John Baron. They will then move straight on to the vote on the government's motion, which is now likely to take place in around 15 minutes.

Benjamin Kentish15 January 2019 19:03

Benjamin Kentish15 January 2019 19:07

The one amendment MPs are now voting on says the Brexit deal should only be approved if the UK is given the right to exit the backstop unilaterally, and mandates the government to strike a Canada-style free trade deal with the EU.

Without the support of the government, it is expected to be heavily defeated.

Benjamin Kentish15 January 2019 19:09

Labour MP Tulip Siddiq is being wheeled through the division lobbies in a wheelchair, having delayed the birth of her child in order to vote tonight.

Benjamin Kentish15 January 2019 19:10

The result of the vote on this amendment is expected in the next couple of minutes. MPs will then vote on the main motion on Theresa May's Brexit deal, with the outcome expected to be announced shortly after 7.30pm.

Benjamin Kentish15 January 2019 19:16

Here's part of Theresa May's impassioned speech urging MPs to back her Brexit deal.

Benjamin Kentish15 January 2019 19:18

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