Commons has NOE clue: MPs reject EVERY Brexit alternative as they vote down all eight different proposals as plan to leave the EU descends to a new level of chaos
Speaker John Bercow eight
MPs rejected every alternative Brexit voted on tonight as Brexit descended into a new level of chaos.
On a dramatic night inside and outside the Commons, a second referendum narrowly won the most votes tonight – losing 295 to 268. A permanent UK-EU customs union won almost as much support and had fewer votes against – defeating it 272 to 264.
No Deal was rejected by 400 to 160, while MPs voted 273 to 184 against cancelling Brexit altogether. A soft Brexit plan to join EFTA and the EEA lost 377 to 65, while a similar Norway-style plan lost 283 to 188. Jeremy Corbyn’s plans lost 307 to 237.
The Brexiteers’ favoured plan to negotiate a two-year standstill deal with the EU suffered the worst defeat 422 to 139.
At the second meaningful vote on March 12, Mrs May’s deal was defeated 391 to 242 – a weaker performance than a second referendum and a permanent customs union.
MPs voted against a backdrop of Mrs May announcing she will quit as PM if MPs back her deal – which was not on the menu tonight. Her deal still appears doomed after the DUP said they would vote against it again.
Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said the failure of MPs to find a consensus undermined the need for MPs to back Theresa May’s ‘compromise’ deal. He said failure to do so meant ‘there are no guarantees on where this process will end’.
He warned there was ‘no simple way forward’ and told the Commons ‘there are no easy options here’.
The Commons was suspended for 30 minutes so MPs could fill in a green ballot paper, answering yes or no to each of the eight proposals.
The most favoured options are due to go through to a second round vote next week. If there is a firm conclusion then, MPs will then try to pass new laws forcing Theresa May to adopt their favoured option, before Britain will leave the EU on April 12 assuming the Brexit deal does not pass this week.
Labour led the charge for a second referendum and a soft Brexit as Jeremy Corbyn orders his MPs to vote for watering down the Government deal that has been crushed twice already.
Mr Corbyn was expected to face a raft of resignations from Labour frontbenchers opposed to a public vote. In the event, shadow housing minister Melanie Onn was the only one to quit – though 27 Labour MPs rebelled overall.
Amid deep Tory splits, most Conservative MPs will get a free vote across the board, except for the Cabinet who will be told to abstain. The move will avoid a dozen or more junior ministers resigning tonight.
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A second referendum narrowly won the most votes tonight – losing 295 to 268. A permanent UK-EU customs union won also as much support and had fewer votes against – defeating it 272 to 264.
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Brexiteer Tory MP Michael Fabricant tweeted a picture of his indicative vote ballor tonight.He endorsed plans for a No Deal on April 12 and negotiating a two-year ‘standstill’ deal with the EU
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Three ministers were among 10 Tory rebels who voted to revoke Article 50 and stay in the EU to avoid a no-deal Brexit.
Foreign Office ministers Sir Alan Duncan and Mark Field were joined by health minister Stephen Hammond in voting for the motion tabled by the SNP’s Joanna Cherry, which was defeated by 293 votes to 184.
They were joined by ex-Government figures and Remainer rebels including ex-chancellor Ken Clarke, ex-education secretary Justine Greening and former attorney general Dominic Grieve.
Mr Clarke was also the only Tory to back a motion by Jeremy Corbyn which would back it’s alternative Brexit plan, which includes a closer relationship with the EU than Theresa May’s deal.
His own motion, that would have backed a Brexit plan with a customs union, was defeated by eight votes after a dozen Labour Leave-supports MPs voted against it.
They included John Mann and Denis Skinner and mostly represented seats in the north which voted to quit the EU
