Theresa May endures humiliating loss as Tory rebels refuse to back government plan
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Your support makes all the difference.Theresa May has suffered another embarrassing defeat in the Commons, after MPs again voted down her Brexit plans on Valentine's Day.
By a majority of 45, the prime minister's latest non-binding motion - endorsing her plans - was rejected by MPs after a considerable rebellion from Conservative backbenchers.
The defeat came after the pro-Brexit Tory European Research Group announced they had taken a "collective decision" to abstain.
Immediately after the vote, Jeremy Corbyn said he was "surprised" the prime minister wasn't present in the Commons "to hear the result of this vote".
He added: "I was going to ask her to come to the despatch box now and admit her strategy has failed and bring forward to the House a coherent plan.
"A coherent plan that can deal with the stresses and anxieties that so many people all over over this country are feeling that can be brought to this House so we can make some progress forward to bring people together and prevent a catastrophic no-deal Brexit on 29th March."
But responding to the votes on Thursday evening, a Downing Street spokesman said: “Jeremy Corbyn yet again put partisan considerations ahead of the national interest – and yet again, by voting against the Government’s motion, he is in effect voting to make no deal more likely.
“While we didn’t secure the support of the Commons this evening, the Prime Minister continues to believe, and the debate itself indicated, that far from objecting to securing changes to the backstop that will allow us to leave with a deal, there was a concern from some Conservative colleagues about taking no deal off the table at this stage.
“The motion on 29th January remains the only one the House of Commons has passed expressing what it does want – and that is legally binding changes to address concerns about the backstop. The Government will continue to pursue this with the EU to ensure we leave on time on 29th March.”
As it happened..
NEW: MPs have voted down Jeremy Corbyn’s amendment, by 322 votes to 306.
The Commons is now voting on the SNP amendment, which calls for Article 50 to be extended. It is almost certain to be defeated.
The SNP amendment, which called for a three month extension to Article 50, is comprehensively defeated - by 315 votes to 93. Interestingly, though, there are only 35 SNP MPs, suggesting dozens of Labour MPs defied the whip to vote for the motion...
MPs are now voting on the main government motion. To remind you, here's what it says:
The government appears to be on course for a big defeat, with Remainer and Brexiteer MPs alike abstaining on the motion, albeit for very different reasons.
Pro-EU MPs believe the motion supports leaving the EU if there are changes made to the backstop, while Eurosceptics say it would rule out a no-deal outcome, which they want to keep on the table.
BREAKING: The government suffers a significant defeat on its Brexit motion.
MPs divide by 303 votes to 258 (majority: 45) against the motion with close to 100 Tories abstaining.
Jeremy Corbyn is making a point of order. He asks why the prime minister is not present to hear the result of the vote.
The Labour leader says he wanted her to come to the Commons "and admit that her strategy has failed". Is there a way to ask her to attend, he asks John Bercow?
The Speaker says it is not obligatory for the prime minister to be present but other ministers are welcome to make a statement. They decline to do so.
Theresa May suffers embarrassing defeat as Tories rebel over no-deal Brexit anger
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