THERESA May dared MPs to vote for a General Election last night after her Brexit deal suffered the worst defeat in British history.
The PM asked Labour to call a confidence vote in the House of Commons after 432 MPs voted to kill off the withdrawal agreement with only 202 backing her.
The crushing defeat – which saw 118 Tories turn against the PM – is the worst since the advent of full democracy and suggests Mrs May will never win enough support for her strategy.
As the PM faces the darkest moment of her career:
- The Tories reeled from the biggest defeat of any modern Government with their 230-vote loss
- Mrs May welcomed the no-confidence motion tabled by Jeremy Corbyn
- MPs will today vote on whether to boot the PM out of office, which could spark another election just weeks before Brexit
- The DUP and hardline Brexiteers said they would vote to keep her in power
- Boris Johnson told Mrs May she must go back to Brussels and re-open the deal
- EU leaders said the withdrawal agreement is the best on offer – but have NOT ruled out re-opening talks
This afternoon Parliament will vote on whether or not to unseat the Government – which would trigger a General Election set to take place just weeks before Brexit.
Mrs May is likely to win today’s confidence vote after the 10 DUP MPs who prop up her wafer-thin majority confirmed they will continue to back her despite opposing her Brexit strategy.
Boris Johnson also backed the PM – but only to keep Labour out of power.
Speaking in the minutes after her historic defeat, the PM said she was happy to fight against an attempt to unseat her – in a bid to wrest the initiative back from Jeremy Corbyn.
And she urged MPs to explain what they want to happen next with Brexit rather than just sniping at her policy.
She told the Commons: “We need to confirm whether this Government still enjoys the confidence of the house.
“I believe that it does, but given the scale and importance of last night’s vote it is right that others have the chance to test that question if they wish to do so.”
But even if she stays in power, Britain faces a period of unprecedented chaos as politicians scramble to find a way forward for Brexit.
Mrs May is under pressure from both sides with Remainers pushing for a second referendum while Brexiteers want her to go for No Deal as soon as possible.
Meanwhile EU boss Donald Tusk publicly called for a second referendum in an extraordinary intervention.
The PM vowed to work with MPs from across the political spectrum to cobble together a solution – saying: “If the house confirms its confidence in this Government, I will then hold meetings with my colleagues, the DUP and senior parliamentarians from across the house to identify what would be required to secure the backing of the house.
“The Government will approach these meetings in a constructive spirit, but given the urgent need to make progress, we must focus on ideas that are genuinely negotiable and have sufficient support in this House.
“If these meetings yield such ideas, the Government will then explore them with the European Union.”
Mrs May denied that her plan is to “run down the clock” to Brexit day on March 29 in a bid to scare MPs into backing her.
Instead she will make a formal statement on her plans by next Monday, with the Commons getting the chance to express its view on what should happen next.
The PM concluded: “Every day that passes without this issue being resolved means more uncertainty, more bitterness and more rancour.
“I ask members on all sides of the house to listen to the British people, who want this issue settled, and to work with the Government to do just that.”
Three Tory MPs quit the Government in order to vote down the deal – Eddie Hughes, Tom Pursglove and Craig Tracey.
How will this all end? Brexit outcomes explained
GENERAL ELECTION
The PM will face a no confidence vote today. But the DUP have already vowed to back her in it.
So it’s pretty unlikely it will pass, leaving Labour red-faced yet again.
HOW LIKELY? 1/5
GOING SOFT
A cross-party group of MPs are frantically pushing an alternative Soft Brexit plan which could replace Mrs May’s deal.
It would be welcomed by big business – but Brexit voters would be unhappy because it would mean Britain accepting open borders, and following European rules without a say.
HOW LIKELY? 3/5
HARD AS NAILS
Most of the Tory Brexiteers who oppose the PM’s deal want her to return to Brussels and strike a tougher line.
But Eurocrats currently insist it’s impossible to re-open negotiations.
HOW LIKELY? 2/5
REFERENDUM RE-RUN
Dozens of MPs are hell-bent on forcing Mrs May to hold a second referendum so Britain can stay in the EU.
Yet without the support of the Government it’s unlikely the second vote could become a reality.
HOW LIKELY? 3/5
DEAL OR NO DEAL?
If Mrs May cannot pass a deal, the legal default is that we will leave the EU without a deal on March 29.
Despite the legal position, the majority of MPs insist they will take any measure necessary to rule out No Deal.
HOW LIKELY? 4/5
MAY TRIUMPHS – EVENTUALLY
Cabinet ministers remain adamant that a version of Theresa May’s plan will eventually pass the Commons, even after losing last night.
They believe sceptical MPs will lose their nerve as Brexit Day approaches – terrified of either No Deal or a second referendum.
HOW LIKELY? 3/5
Last night Brexiteers called on the PM to head back to Brussels and deliver an ultimatum – demanding a Canada-style free trade deal.
Jacob Rees-Mogg told The Sun: “The margin of defeat was larger than I had expected. It shows the strength of feeling against the Withdrawal Agreement.
“I’d urge the Prime Minister to go back to Brussels and ask for better value for money for our £39 billion in the form of a Canada-style free trade agreement.”
Boris Johnson added: “We should not only be keeping the good bits of the deal, getting rid of the backstop, but we should also be actively preparing for No Deal with ever more enthusiasm.”
DUP boss Arlene Foster said Mrs May should be allowed time to negotiate a better deal and even suggested the Commons verdict could strengthen her hand.
She said: “The House of Commons has sent an unmistakable message to the Prime Minister and the European Union that this deal is rejected.
“Mrs May will now be able to demonstrate to the Brussels negotiators that changes are required if any deal is to command the support of Parliament.”
European Council chief Donald Tusk suggested for the first time that Brexit will now never happen thanks to the political deadlock.
He tweeted: “If a deal is impossible, and no one wants no deal, then who will finally have the courage to say what the only positive solution is?”
Jean-Claude Juncker blasted British MPs over the ongoing certainty, saying: “The risk of a disorderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom has increased with this evening’s vote.
“I urge the United Kingdom to clarify its intentions as soon as possible. Time is almost up.”
Speaking in the Commons before the vote Mrs May blasted the idea of a No Deal Brexit, saying: “I don’t believe that’s what the British people voted for.”
But she turned down an appeal from top Brexiteer Edward Leigh to adopt a time limit to the backstop, which could reassure Leave-backing MPs Britain won’t end up tied to the EU permanently.
Mrs May told the Cabinet this morning she hopes to push on with her deal despite the defeat – saying it’s “the only option”.
The Prime Minister closed the Brexit debate in the Commons – watched by husband Philip in the public gallery – following five days of discussion.
Her 230-vote margin of defeat is the worst since all adult Brits got the vote, beating the previous record of 166 suffered by Labour’s first PM Ramsay MacDonald in 1924.
But opening the debate this afternoon, Attorney General Geoffrey Cox insisted the deal will end up returning to the Commons largely unchanged.
He told MPs: “Let us be clear, whatever solution may be fashioned if this motion were defeated and this deal defeated, this withdrawal agreement will have to return in much the same form with much the same content.”
In a barnstorming speech, the minister nicknamed “Tory Mufasa” described rebel MPs as “children” for opposing the deal, blasting: “It provides for the orderly and predictable and legally certain winding down of our obligations and involvement in the legal systems of the EU.
“If we do not legislate for that legal certainty as a matter of law alone, thousands of contracts, thousands of transactions, thousands of administrative proceedings, of judicial proceedings in the European Union and this country, will be plunged into legal uncertainty.
“If you were a litigant in a court, if you were dependent upon having concluded a contract on the basis of EU law and you found yourself suddenly with the rug pulled from under you, not knowing what your legal obligations would be, you would say to this house: ‘What are you playing at? What are you doing? You are not children in the playground, you are legislators.’
“We are playing with people’s lives.”
He said yesterday: “Whether it can be done by March 29 or whether it can’t does not affect the decision we have to take today – which is, do we opt for order or do we choose chaos?”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Geoffrey Cox is dead right and should be listened to.”
German foreign minister Heiko Maas admitted on Monday that Britain and the EU could hold new talks after the failure of the current deal.
He said: “If it goes wrong, there could be further talks.”
MOST READ IN POLITICS
Scottish Secretary David Mundell described last night’s vote as “an initial vote”, suggesting there could be a second one in the near future.
And Michael Gove hit the airwaves this morning in a desperate attempt to drum up support for the PM – channelling Game of Thrones.
He quipped ahead of last night’s vote:”If we don’t vote for the deal tonight, in the words of Jon Snow, ‘winter is coming’.”
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News Pictures Crushed Theresa May dares MPs to vote for General Election today after record Brexit defeat
You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!
TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st
To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.
Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”
Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”
kim cattrall
Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb
SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.
Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/RTRMADP_BRITAIN-EU_2038270532_RC1A321D5A20_2019-01-15T194754Zjpg-JS462034707.jpg?strip=all&w=960
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