Humiliated May heads to Brussels as Tory rebels hand MPs vote on Brexit deal
- EU's chief negotiator crowed 'British Parliament takes back control'
- Jeremy Corbyn described it as a 'humiliating loss of authority.'
- The government lost by four votes after 11 Tories voted for the amendment
THERESA MAY is on her way to Brussels for a crunch summit after suffering a humiliating Commons defeat that left MPs with the power to alter her final EU divorce deal.
A well-orchestrated rebellion by 11 of her own MPs saw the Prime Minister defeated by just four votes on a key amendment to her flagship EU Withdrawal Bill.
The amendment means the PM is unable to guarantee to fellow EU leaders that she will be able to implement the exit terms they agree.
The four-vote margin came after 11 Tories voted for the amendment, while the rest of their party joined the DUP and two Labour members voting against it.
The defeat was leapt on by critics of Brexit as a chance to turn the tide - but the Government vowed to continue to amend the controversial divorce law that has had a rocky journey through Parliament.
Earlier the PM had warned the changes risked derailing Brexit, but the rebels backed the changes to the draft bill tabled by ex-Attorney General Dominic Grieve.
The pro-EU MPs want a "meaningful" vote to be given to the House of Commons and a chance to water down what they see as Mrs May's "hard Brexit" agenda.
What does the vote tonight actually mean?
THERESA May’s Commons defeat will not stop Brexit but have a major impact on HOW the UK leaves the EU.
MPs have now won the chance to debate — and possibly change — the divorce deal that Mrs May negotiates in Brussels next year.
But the Government fear this could plunge talks into chaos as nobody will know if MPs will undo the deal they hammer out.
However the rebels argued that it could actually help Mrs May get a BETTER deal as the EU will know she will have to get approval from MPs for the terms.
None of the Tory rebels claimed that they were trying to stop our EU divorce, just have better scrutiny over it.
The European Parliament already have a vote that could block the deal — but MPs want the Westminster decision to come significantly before anything is signed.
And anti-Brexit MPs could now use this “final say” to try keep Britain in the EU by rejecting any deal — crucially last night’s vote showed the Government CAN be defeated — in principle — on Brexit.
Mrs May attempted to reassert control by sacking rebel MP Stephen Hammond from his role as Tory vice chairman within minutes of the vote.
The result was announced to the sounds of cheering and hollering by opposition MPs, who punched the air as they inflicted a damaging blow to her already diminished authority.
This was despite minister and whips carrying out last-minute behind the scenes strong-arming up until the moment the vote was called.
And one was alleged to even have reduced a female MPs to tears ahead the vote to decide whether Parliament will get the chance to change the final terms of the Brexit deal.
A last minute concession from Justice Minister Dominic Raab led to some Tories sitting out the vote rather than directly rebelling against Mrs May, but rebels said the pledge to take on their concerns came “too late.”
Quoting Winston Churchill Mr Grieve told MPs: "There's a time for everybody to stand up and be counted.”
A slew of ex-Ministers including Nicky Morgan, Anna Soubry, Ken Clarke and Bob Neil joined the revolt.
Nicky Morgan tweeted after the result: "Tonight Parliament took control of the EU Withdrawal process."
Labour Peer Lord Adonis said: “This is the first step towards the defeat of Brexit.”
Ukip’s Nigel Farage hit back: “My contempt for career politicians knows no bounds.”
Conservative MP Nadine Dorries declared the rebels should be “deselected and never allowed to stand again”.
But rebel Sarah Wollaston hit back, telling Dorries to "get over herself."
European Parliament Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt said it was a "good day for democracy".
He crowed: "British Parliament takes back control. European and British Parliament together will decide on the final agreement.
"Interests of the citizens will prevail over narrow party politics."
It came at the end of a fraught day in Westminster that saw tensions flare as opposition parties joined with Tory rebels to inflict the credibility smashing blow to No10.
Mrs May spent the day love bombing her own MPs in a bid to see off the devastating defeat to no avail, losing the vote by 309 to 305.
In a dawn letter from David Davis, the government vowed not to implement any part of the PM’s Brexit deal without giving MPs a take it or leave vote.
Mrs May used Prime Minister’s Questions to promise again to MPs that they would get a vote – but said their amendment as it stood could risk disrupting the Brexit process.
She told MPs on Wednesday lunchtime that it would risk throwing off the exit timetable as the vote “could be at a very late stage in the proceedings, which could mean that we are not able to have the orderly and smooth exit from the European Union that we wish to have.”
But furious rebel commander Mr Grieve hit back to brand the PM tin-eared and the letter the "dialogue of the deaf".
As tensions flared a male Tory whip was said to have used "bully boy tactics" that left a fellow MP crying.
Rebel Anna Soubry said she found the female colleague "upset and shaken" after a conversation with a party whip when she found the MP in a state of distress afterwards.
In emotional Commons scenes, one rebel Vicky Ford who was left wavering after the last minute concession was seen being led into the government lobby with a guiding arm from Chancellor Philip Hammond.
After the result Jeremy Corbyn piled in on the PM, calling it a “humiliating loss of authority for the government” on the eve of the crunch European Council meeting tomorrow.
Following the defeat Downing Street blasted the rebels, and hinted they would try undo the change at a later time.
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A Government spokesperson said: "We are disappointed that Parliament has voted for this amendment despite the strong assurances that we have set out.
"We are as clear as ever that this Bill, and the powers within it, are essential.
“This amendment does not prevent us from preparing our statute book for exit day. We will now determine whether further changes are needed to the Bill to ensure it fulfils its vital purpose."