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As it happenedended

Brexit vote result - LIVE : Theresa May offers Tory MPs free vote on no deal after her revised plan suffers second crushing defeat

Follow The Independent's coverage live from Westminster

Ashley Cowburn
Political Correspondent
Tuesday 12 March 2019 18:27 EDT
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Theresa May's Brexit deal defeated in the House of Commons

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MPs have inflicted a devastating defeat on Theresa May's Brexit deal after last-minute assurances from the EU failed to convince Brexiteers and the DUP.

On a day of high drama in Westminster, parliament voted against the prime minister's blueprint by 149 votes.

Ahead of the Commons showdown, a hoarse Ms May desperately appealed to MPs to back her blueprint after she secured “legally binding” changes during an eleventh-hour trip to Strasbourg on Monday night.

But attorney general Geoffrey Cox dealt a significant blow to her efforts, issuing legal advice that said the UK could still be trapped in the Irish backstop, which is so despised by Tory Brexiteers.

The prime minister must now let MPs decide whether to rule out a no-deal Brexit and has been forced to allow her ministers to vote.

It means over the next 48 hours cross-party groups of MPs will probably table plans for delaying Brexit for different periods; for leaving on different terms; and for giving the British public a Final Say referendum.

Please allow a moment for the liveblog to load

Chiara.Giordano12 March 2019 22:46

Tomorrow's Independent front page: Time for a final say

Chiara.Giordano12 March 2019 22:55

Foreign office minister Alistair Burt, who voted to leave, has hit out at MP Jacob Rees-Mogg for voting against the prime minister's withdrawal agreement tonight:

Chiara.Giordano12 March 2019 23:17

Skirmishes between pro- and anti-Brexit supporters reported outside Parliament by political journalist:

Chiara.Giordano12 March 2019 23:32

The DUP's Ian Paisley has said he would like to see a no-deal option left on the table.

He told BBC Two's Newsnight: “Anyone who has embarked on any sort of negotiation to get any sort of result will always have that last option available to them.

“To remove it weakens your negotiating team, weakens the options that you have. I say this to all Members of Parliament: if you vote to remove this from the Prime Minister's arsenal essentially she will have to blink again.”

Education minister Nadhim Zahawi said he also believed no-deal needed to stay on the table.

“As a responsible Member of Parliament representing Stratford-upon-Avon, I think the right thing to do for my constituents and the country is to keep no-deal on the table because the only way to secure a good deal is if you can walk away from it,” he said.

Chiara.Giordano12 March 2019 23:42

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