The big news tonight is that MPs have voted by 321 to 308 for a motion which rejects the UK leaving the EU without a deal, under any circumstances. The motion did not force the government to either revoke Article 50 or to request an extension, and so the UK will still leave without a deal on 29 March by law, until other arrangements are put in place.
A dozen government ministers defied the government whip by abstaining on the motion, including work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd. The others are Claire Perry, Greg Clark, David Gauke, Stephen Hammond, Robert Buckland, David Mundell, Tobias Ellwood, Richard Harrington, Alistair Burt, Margot James, and Anne Milton.
17 Tory MPs broke with their party to vote to take no-deal Brexit off the table:
Guto Bebb
Richard Benyon
Nick Boles
Kenneth Clarke
Jonathan Djangoly
George Freeman
Justine Greening
Dominic Grieve
Sam Gyimah
Phillip Lee
Oliver Letwin
Paul Masterton
Sarah Newton (government minister, now resigned)
Mark Pawsey
Antoinette Sandbach
Nicholas Soames
Edward Vaizey

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