MPs reject Theresa May's withdrawal agreement

Theresa May's plan for taking the UK out of the European Union has been left in tatters after MPs voted to reject it for a third time.

In another hammer-blow to the Prime Minister's authority, the Commons voted 344 to 286 to reject the Withdrawal Agreement she struck with Brussels - a majority of 58.

The result puts a huge question mark over May's hopes of the UK leaving the EU on 22 May, the extension date she agreed with Brussels a week ago.

It means the UK has until 12 April to come up with an alternative Brexit plan or face the prospect of either a much longer extension - and participation in May's European elections - or leaving without a deal.

The Prime Minister suffered the defeat after she failed to convince the DUP - whose 10 MPs prop up her minority government - to support her deal.

Although many Tory eurosceptics - including Boris Johnson - did finally drop their opposition to the deal, May failed to persuade enough Labour MPs to back her, meaning her defeat was inevitable.

Closing the debate, the Prime Minister hit back at those who said there was no point in having the vote because she would bound to lose it.

She said: "I bother because this is the last opportunity to guarantee Brexit and I say to all those who campaigned to leave, who voted to leave, who represent constituencies who voted to leave, all of us who want to deliver on the vote to leave: if we do not vote for this motion today, people will ask why did you not vote for Brexit?"

And she added: "Today’s motion is not about a blind Brexit, it is about a guaranteed Brexit. Today we can show the public and businesses the certainty they need.

"Today we can show we stand by our word today. We can show we can come together in the national interest. Today we can take a step forward together."

But Jeremy Corbyn said: "Labour will not vote for a blindfold Brexit. And passing the Withdrawal Agreement without the Political Declaration would be to do just that."

And noting that May has pledged to hand over to a new PM once her exit plan is passed, he added: "Labour will not play roulette with this country's future."

The Government offered Labour MPs a greater role for Parliament in a bid to convince those representing pro-Leave seats to back the deal, but the attempt was doomed.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said earlier today that her MPs “cannot vote for a deal, including a backstop arrangement, which could undermine the Union”.

The backstop is an insurance policy to keep the Northern Ireland border open, that would see the whole UK remain in a customs union with the EU in the event of a no-deal departure.

Writing in the Belfast Telegraph, Foster said: “I hear the concerns of business and others about the need for certainty.

“I am listening, but we cannot in all conscience support a Withdrawal Agreement which does not safeguard the Union but rather acts as a threat to the economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom.”