Brexit vote result - LIVE: Jeremy Corbyn tables vote of no confidence in Theresa May that could bring down government after historic 230-vote Commons defeat
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Washington Bureau Chief
MPs overwhelmingly rejected Theresa May’s divorce deal with the EU on Tuesday evening, plunging the Brexit process into chaos.
The defeat was widely expected, but the scale of the House of Commons’ vote – 432 votes against the government and 202 in support – was devastating for Ms May’s fragile leadership.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn put forward a confidence motion in the aftermath of the crushing loss, which made history as the biggest ever government defeat on the floor of the House of Commons.
The defeat by 230 votes easily beat the previous record of 166 votes, set in 1924 by the minority Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald.
Parliament finally delivered its verdict on the prime minister’s withdrawal agreement after months of debate, as crowds of both Leave and Remain protesters gathered outside parliament to express their anger.
Ms May insisted she intended to stay on, setting out plans for talks with senior parliamentarians in the hope of finding “genuinely negotiable” solutions which she can take to Brussels.
But she faces another crucial vote on Wednesday after the Labour leader moved to table a formal motion of no confidence in her government.
Senior ministers reportedly told top business leaders that a motion to delay the Article 50 process of leaving the EU is being prepared in a conference call following the vote defeat.
To follow events as they unfolded, see our live coverage below:
MPs could have repeated votes on Theresa May's Brexit deal, according to Scottish Secretary David Mundell, who described today's Commons crunch as "an initial vote".
With the House of Commons set for a historic vote on the Prime Minister's deal for leaving the EU, Mr Mundell suggested that the Government would hold more votes if they lose tonight as expected.
He told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: "My feeling now is that there's a significant number of MPs who feel that they need to - in this initial vote - vote against the deal."
↵Arlene Foster, the leader of the DUP, Theresa May's coalition partner, voicing her opinion about the deal.
The DUP are expected to vote against Ms May.
If you're wondering which amendments to the Brexit vote MPs could vote on today (of course you are), here's a little summary we've put together to help:
Scottish Conservative MP Paul Masterton has told Theresa May to "write off" Brexiteers in her party if she loses tonight's vote.
He told BBC Scotland:
"I think that what the prime minister has to accept is that there's probably a couple of dozen Conservative MPs that will not accept any kind of deal whatsoever.
"So frankly she just needs to ignore them and write them off and look at where she can replace those votes from elsewhere in Parliament and build a better consensus and go back to Brussels on that basis."
Hillary Benn announced this morning that he was withdrawing his amendment, which would have blocked both Theresa May's deal and a no-deal Brexit.
The chair of the Commons Brexit committee was under pressure to drop the motion because it could have reduced the size of the defeat Ms May is facing.
If passed, the Benn amendment would have effectively become the final motion MPs voted on. Given it ruled out both Ms May's deal and no deal, it was unlikely to be backed by many Tories, most of whom favour one of those two outcomes. That meant the prime minister could have staved off the huge defeat she is likely to suffer on the government's current motion.
But with Mr Benn having pulled his amendment, that option is no longer on the table and a defeat by a margin of at least 100 remains likely.
Brexit negotiations could be re-opened if Theresa May's deal is rejected, Germany's foreign minister has said
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