Brexit: Theresa May sees off Tory rebellion over 'meaningful vote' - as it happened
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Your support makes all the difference.Theresa May has won a crunch Commons vote on a key area of Brexit policy after Tory rebels fell into line at the last minute.
Pro-EU Conservatives had threatened to rebel to ensure parliament is given a greater say in the case of a no-deal Brexit, but their ringleader, Dominic Grieve, voted against his own amendment after declaring himself satisfied with the assurances he had been given by ministers.
With the vote thought to be too close to call, MPs who were heavily pregnant were forced to traipse through the division lobbies. Others who have been ill, including Labour's Naz Shah, also had to drag themselves to the Commons after the government refused to honour a convention that unwell MPs can be counted in the Palace of Westminster car park.
Earlier, Ms May clashed with Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs over her announcement of more funding for the NHS, with the Labour leader claiming the prime minister's figures were “so dodgy they belong on the side of a bus”.
As it happened...
The Commons has accepted the other House of Lords amendment. The “meaningful vote” motion was the only remaining issue of real contention. Pending any other surprise interventions from peers later today, the government has got its bill through largely unscathed. You can almost hear the sighs of relief in No 10.
That's all from me for today, after the drama of a potentially knife-edge vote quickly evaporated when Dominic Grieve, the Tory rebel ringleader, declared he would not support his own amendment and instead backed the government.
Is that the end of the matter? You can bet it's not. This was one battle in the ongoing war over how Brexit will look and what role Parliament will have in shaping it. Rows continue aplenty, between parties and within them: over the customs union, the Northern Ireland border, the role of European courts and a whole ream of other issues.
No 10 will be delighted to have got its EU Withdrawal Bill through Parliament without anything that could really be considered a major concession on the meaningful vote. Tory rebels, meanwhile, believe the assurances they have secured have significantly improved the legislation. Both sides will now regroup and prepare for the next battle, which is likely to be on the customs bill - and the issue of the customs union - in a few weeks' time.
We'll be bringing you all that and more as it happens, of course. For now, though, thanks for reading!
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