The government has just been defeated in the House of Commons on whether the final Brexit deal will get a ‘meaningful vote’ by Parliament. MPs voted 309-305 to pass the amendment to the EU withdrawal bill by Dominic Grieve.
There were dramatic scenes in the Commons, as MPs had initially believed that the government had won. This was based on the way one of the tellers for the rebels was standing in the Chamber (the tellers are MPs who announce the result, and they stand according to whether the Ayes or Noes have it). Heidi Alexander only moved to the other side of the floor at the very last minute, revealing that there had in fact been a government defeat.
This is the first serious Commons defeat for Theresa May since the snap election, which is perhaps partly a tribute to the work of the whips in keeping things quiet until now, or perhaps merely a function of the way parliamentary business has been scheduled.
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