Image copyright UKParliament/Mark Duffy

MPs have voted by 413 to 202 - a majority of 211 - for Prime Minister Theresa May to ask the EU for a delay to Brexit.

It means the UK may not now leave on 29 March as previously planned.

Mrs May says Brexit could be delayed by three months, to 30 June, if MPs back her deal in a vote next week.

If they reject her deal again then she says she will seek a longer extension - but any delay has to be agreed by the 27 other EU member states.

Most Conservative MPs voted against delaying Brexit - including seven cabinet members - meaning Mrs May had to rely on Labour and other opposition votes to get it through.

But some Labour frontbenchers resigned to defy party orders to abstain on a vote on holding another referendum.

Shadow housing minister Yvonne Fovargue, shadow education minister Emma Lewell-Buck, shadow business minister Justin Madders, Ruth Smeeth, a shadow ministerial aide, and Labour whip Stephanie Peacock, all quit their roles to oppose one.

Theresa May, who has long insisted that the UK will leave the EU on 29 March with or without a withdrawal deal, voted to delay Brexit.

She had been forced to offer MPs a vote on delaying Brexit after they rejected her withdrawal agreement by a large margin, for a second time, and then voted to reject a no-deal Brexit.

She has warned that extending the departure date beyond three months could harm trust in democracy - and mean that the UK would have to take part in May's European Parliament elections.

Please upgrade your browser to view this interactive How did my MP vote on 14 March? Enter a postcode, or the name or constituency of your MP Seat vacant

Downing Street said the government was still preparing for a no-deal Brexit.

Theresa May is planning to hold another "meaningful vote" on her withdrawal deal by Wednesday - after it was overwhelmingly rejected on two previous occasions.

If she wins that vote, she will ask for a one-off extension to Brexit get the necessary legislation through Parliament at an EU summit on Thursday - if not she could ask for a longer extension.

A spokesman for the European Commission said extending Article 50, the mechanism taking the UK out of the EU on 29 March, would need the "unanimous agreement" of all EU member states.

And it would be for the leaders of those states "to consider such a request, giving priority to the need to ensure the functioning of the EU institutions and taking into account the reasons for and duration of a possible extension".

It is still technically possible that we could leave the EU at the end of this month - the law has not changed.

But politically it is now almost entirely out of reach.

The prime minister is accepting she will miss one of the biggest targets she has ever set herself.

Tonight's vote is awkward for another reason, as it again displays the Conservatives' fundamental divisions.

This is more than a quarrel among friends, but a party that is split down the middle on one of the most vital questions this administration has posed, with cabinet ministers, as well as backbench Brexiteers, lining up to disagree with Theresa May.

Read more from Laura

Downing Street said this was a "natural consequence" of Mrs May's decision to offer a free vote on an issue where there are "strong views on all sides of the debate".

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss tweeted: "I voted against a delay to Brexit. As a delay was passed by Parliament, I want to see deal agreed ASAP so we can minimise to short, technical, extension."

Seven cabinet ministers - Ms Truss, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt, Commons leader Andrea Leadsom, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson - voted against the government motion.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Health Secretary Matthew Hancock said "it is still possible to deliver Brexit on the 29 March"

Health Secretary Matthew Hancock said it would be "extremely difficult" but "still possible to deliver Brexit on 29 March with a deal".

He said there were now two options: "To vote for the deal and leave in orderly way or a long delay and I think that would be a disaster."

MPs earlier rejected an attempt to secure another Brexit referendum by 334 votes to 85.

And they also rejected a cross-party plan to allow MPs to take control of the Brexit process to hold a series of votes on the next steps, by the narrow margin of two votes.

Following the votes, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn reiterated his support for a further referendum after earlier ordering his MPs not to vote for one.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jeremy Corbyn: Public vote an "option to break deadlock"

He said: "Today I reiterate my conviction that a deal can be agreed based on our alternative plan that can command support across the House.

"I also reiterate our support for a People's Vote - not as a political point-scoring exercise but as a realistic option to break the deadlock."

Labour abstained when MPs voted on the referendum proposal, tabled by Independent Group MP Sarah Wollaston, arguing that now was not the right time to push for a public vote.

But 17 Labour MPs defied party orders and voted to oppose another referendum - while 24 Labour MPs rebelled to vote in favour of one.

Among frontbenchers to quit over the issue, Ms Peacock said: "It is with deep regret I tonight resigned from Labour's front bench, because I believe we should respect the result of the 2016 vote to leave the European Union."

Labour's plan to delay Brexit to allow Parliamentary time for MPs to "find a majority for a different approach" was defeated by 318 to 302 votes. </s> LONDON — Members of Parliament have voted to reject a no-deal Brexit in a further catastrophic blow to Theresa May's authority.

The House of Commons voted by 312 to 308 to endorse an amendment in the name of Tory MP Caroline Spelman which asked MPs if they opposed the prospect of leaving the European Union without a withdrawal agreement on March 29 under any circumstances.

The government had whipped Tory MPs to oppose the amendment, meaning some ministers who supported it could now be forced to resign.

Victory for the Spelman amendment does not change the law but represents a further significant blow to the authority of the prime minister, who had hoped MPs would instead back her own motion which represented a watered-down version of the plan.

The prime minister had been forced to hold the votes after her Brexit deal was defeated for a second time by a huge margin of 149 House of Commons votes on Tuesday evening.

MPs could now seize greater control of the next stages of Brexit.

There will be a vote on Thursday evening on whether to seek an Article 50 extension, a move which if granted by the EU would delay Brexit beyond March 29, when the UK is currently scheduled to leave. </s> MPs again rejected all options set out in Parliament last night in a series of "indicative votes" aimed at finding a way forward for Brexit.

It was the second time in the space of a week that all alternatives to Theresa May's deal were rejected by Parliament after the Commons took control of the Brexit process following the Prime Minister's three defeats on her plan.

Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay told MPs that the default outcome was now a no-deal Brexit on April 12, but said it was still possible to leave with a deal - and avoid holding European Parliament elections in May - if the Commons approves an agreement this week.

Cabinet will meet today for five hours to try and thrash out a way forward.

Here's how our MPs voted for each of the alternative plans set out last night:

The UK would join the European Free Trade Association and European Economic Area with countries such as Norway, allowing us to remain part of the single market, retaining freedom of movement, so British citizens would keep the right to live and work in the EU and vice-versa.

Former Conservative MP Nick Boles's Common Market 2.0 motion was defeated by 282 votes to 261, majority 21.

Would see the Government to negotiating "a permanent and comprehensive UK-wide customs union with the EU" as part of any Brexit deal.

Would give the UK a closer trading relationship with the EU and reduce the need for some (but not all) checks at the Irish border.

Tory former chancellor Ken Clarke's customs union motion was defeated by 276 votes to 273, majority three.

Gives the public a vote to approve any Brexit deal passed by Parliament, before it can be implemented.

MPs voted by 292 votes to 280, majority 12, to reject Labour MP Peter Kyle's second Brexit referendum motion.

Giving MPs power to block leaving with no-deal by cancelling Brexit if EU won’t grant a further extension beyond 12 April

SNP MP Joanna Cherry's proposal saw 191 votes for, 292 against, defeated by a majority 101 </s> British Prime Minister Theresa May's government remained defiant after Parliament took partial control of the stalled process of leaving the European Union, arguing Tuesday that the maneuvering simply underscores the need for lawmakers to approve her twice-defeated deal.

The House of Commons voted late Monday to wrest the parliamentary timetable away from the government temporarily so that lawmakers can vote on alternatives to the withdrawal agreement May negotiated with the

The government, which usually controls the scheduling of votes in Parliament, said the lawmakers' move "upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future."

 

 But Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC that the government won't "pre-commit" to accepting the option backed by lawmakers because they may come up with a plan that is impractical.

"If the Commons voted for the sun to rise in the west, the government would not be able to implement that," he said.

"The best way through this impasse is the one deal that has been negotiated with the that can be delivered quickly now," Hancock said, referring to the prime minister's agreement.

May's authority is hanging by a thread after 30 members of her defied her instructions and voted for Parliament to take control of the process. Three government ministers resigned rather than vote with the government.

Almost three years after Britons voted to leave the EU, the date and terms of its departure are up in the air.

Last week the granted Britain a delay to the scheduled March 29 exit date, saying that if Parliament approved the proposed divorce deal, the UK would leave the EU on May 22.

If not, the government has until April 12 to tell the 27 remaining EU countries what it plans to do leave without a deal, cancel Brexit or chart a path to a new option.

May is continuing to push for approval of her deal with the EU even though the House of Commons overwhelmingly rejected it during votes in January and March.

She has warned pro-Brexit legislators that continuing to reject the deal could lead to a "slow Brexit" that postpones the country's departure indefinitely.

Richard Harrington, who resigned as a business minister to vote in favor of Monday's motion, accused the government of "playing roulette" with people and businesses lives by failing to resolve Britain's Brexit impasse.

Lawmakers who backed Monday's motion, which passed 329-302, hope to find an alternative that can command a majority in Parliament by holding a series of "indicative votes" on other options.

Those alternatives could include a "soft Brexit" that maintains close economic ties with the EU or scrapping Brexit entirely.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, a leading pro-Brexit Conservative, acknowledged that "the choice seems to be Mrs. May's deal or no Brexit."



"I have always thought that 'no deal' is better than May's deal, but May's deal is better than not leaving at all," he said on the Conservative Home podcast.

Cabinet ministers gathering Tuesday for their regular meeting were expected to demand that lawmakers be allowed to follow their consciences, rather than vote the party line, during the debate Wednesday on alternatives to the prime minister's deal.

"Parliament should seek urgently to resolve the situation by considering alternatives freely, without the instruction of party whips, and government should adopt any feasible outcome as its own in order to progress matters," said Alistair Burt, who quit his role in the Foreign Office after defying May on Monday.

"I did not believe the government was prepared to do that, so had to vote to ensure this happens. </s> MPs have again rejected a series of alternatives to Theresa May’s Brexit deal.

A call for a customs union after Brexit was defeated by just three votes, a referendum on any deal was rejected by 12 votes, the Common Market 2.0 plan lost by 21 votes and cancelling Brexit to prevent a no-deal scenario was defeated by 101.

So what happens next?

– Tuesday April 2



 Theresa May has scheduled a five-hour Cabinet meeting instead of the usual 90 minutes. The first three hours will be a political Cabinet in the absence of civil servants – fuelling speculation the senior Tories will consider the prospect of a snap election, the timing of the Prime Minister’s departure or the potential for ministerial resignations if there is a change in Brexit strategy.

Backbench MPs will again take charge of the Commons timetable to consider Brexit plans under Tory MP Sir Oliver Letwin’s scheme to break the Parliamentary deadlock.

After the latest round of indicative votes failed to produce a clear winner, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said: “If the House were to agree a deal this week it may still be possible to avoid holding European parliamentary elections.”

That could be an indication the Prime Minister might risk a fourth showdown on her Withdrawal Agreement in the hope that more Tory Eurosceptics will accept the choice is between her plan and a softer Brexit.

– Wednesday April 10



 An emergency summit of European Union leaders will consider any request by the UK for a longer delay to Brexit. To be granted a further postponement the Government will have to set out what purpose it would achieve and it will almost certainly involve taking part in the European elections.

The UK is scheduled to leave the EU on April 12 after MPs rejected the Prime Minister’s deal last week.

If Europe’s leaders have agreed an extension to the Article 50 process, the UK will elect MEPs to the European Parliament.

The breakaway Independent Group of MPs has announced it intends to set up a fully fledged political party – Change UK – to fight the elections on a pro-EU platform.

Nigel Farage will seek to continue as an MEP, this time for the newly formed Brexit Party.

Mrs May warned MPs before they rejected her deal that a long extension would “at least delay and could destroy Brexit”.

Three years after the referendum, it is possible the UK will still be in the European Union, have newly elected MEPs and will be contributing to the Brussels budget.

The current make-up of the House of Commons has so far proved unable to agree on any Brexit plan so the Prime Minister could be tempted to call a snap election to break the deadlock.

But having promised not to lead the Tories into the scheduled 2022 election and then said she would quit before the next phase of the Brexit process, would her MPs allow her to fight another contest as leader?

And would a new election produce a decisive result to give whoever occupies Number 10 a majority to steer such a divisive issue through Parliament?

The call for another referendum was defeated by just 12 votes and campaigners seized on the fact it had more MPs voting in favour than any other option.

The narrow defeat for a customs union will increase pressure on Mrs May to move in favour of the measure.

But that would tear the Tory party apart and would be likely to result in Cabinet resignations as critics of the customs union believe it robs the UK of one of the major Brexit prizes – the ability to strike trade deals with countries such as the US. </s> British prime minister Theresa May has been defeated over her Brexit plan B on Thursday.

Asked to “reiterate its support for the approach to leaving the EU” expressed by the House of Commons on January 29th, it voted 303 against the motion, tabled by the government.

The prime minister was not present for the vote.

She had been seeking MPs’ backing for her approach to renegotiating her withdrawal agreement with the EU after the House of Commons emphatically rejected it last month.

Although Mrs May is seeking to finalise a revised Brexit deal with the EU, she has repeatedly refused to rule out the possibility of the UK crashing out of the bloc without an agreement.

But Eurosceptic Conservative MPs are angry that a government motion about Mrs May’s strategy that they are being asked to approve on Thursday “welcomes” recent votes in parliament, including one rejecting a no-deal Brexit.

Many Eurosceptics argue that a no-deal option is necessary as a negotiating tactic with Brussels.

“It makes sense that we keep no deal on the table, because we know the history of the EU that they do make concessions at the last moment,” said Shailesh Vara, who resigned as a minister in protest at Brexit policy. “We need to hold our nerve.”

Some members of the pro-Brexit European Research Group of Tory MPs, led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, are now expected to abstain in the vote on Thursday, which could result in the government motion being rejected, and thereby undermine Mrs May’s credibility with Brussels.

Adding to the prime minister’s difficulties, Europhile Conservative MPs criticised Brexit secretary Steve Barclay after he said that the UK could leave the EU without a deal on March 29 despite parliament having voted against such a possibility.

Caroline Spelman, the Conservative MP who spearheaded the Commons vote last month against leaving without a deal, suggested that the government was “contemptuous” of the Commons.

MPs were asked to vote up to four times on Thursday. Three amendments to the government motion have been selected for debate: one by Labour, which seeks to force the government to give MPs a further vote on Mrs May’s strategy on February 27th; another by the Scottish National party, calling for steps to revoke Brexit; and a third by Europhile MPs, ordering the release of the government’s no-deal assessments.

This third amendment, led by the Conservative Anna Soubry and Labour’s Chuka Umunna, was later withdrawn.

Mr Barclay tried to assuage Eurosceptic Tories in his speech at the start of the Commons debate on Thursday. “We do need as a parliament to hold our nerve, and we do need to send a clear signal to those in the European Union with whom we’re discussing this deal,” he said.

Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer said Mr Barclay was “all over the place on all of the important issues”, and accused Mrs May of “running down the clock, hoping to get to March or even the end of March” before presenting MPs with a choice of her withdrawal agreement or a no-deal Brexit. – Financial Times </s> Britain’s Parliament voted to avoid an economically disastrous no-deal split from the European Union, opening the door to delaying Brexit and radically re-writing the terms of the divorce.

The House of Commons voted 321 to 278 to reject leaving the EU with no deal and is now expected to seek to delay Brexit in the hope of securing a better deal, which markets would welcome.

Speaking in the Commons, May said Parliament must now face up to the consequences of its decisions. She announced that if a deal can be agreed to in the coming days, she would ask the EU for a short “technical” extension to the March 29 exit day deadline. If there’s no deal, the delay will be much longer, she said.

It is almost three years since Britain voted to cancel its 40-year membership of the EU and with just 16 days to go until exit day, Theresa May’s government has failed to get an agreement that can win the support of Parliament.

The prime minister’s preferred deal, which took two years to negotiate, was resoundingly rejected by the Commons for the second time in a vote on Tuesday night. Now, MPs have decided to avoid leaving the bloc without a deal.

The question is, what kind of deal will Parliament vote for, and how much longer do Britain’s politicians need to make up their minds?

On Wednesday, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, warned that postponing Brexit won’t be straightforward.

“It could be a tactical, a political prolongation,” Barnier told Euronews TV. “In that case, I know the answers and the reaction of the EU side, the EU leaders, the EU Parliament: ‘What for? Why do you need a prolongation? Is it for organizing a new referendum, new elections or not?”’ </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The prime minister's Brexit deal is backed by 202 MPs but 432 vote against.

Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal has been rejected by 230 votes - the largest defeat for a sitting government in history.

MPs voted by 432 votes to 202 to reject the deal, which sets out the terms of Britain's exit from the EU on 29 March.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has now tabled a vote of no confidence in the government, which could trigger a general election.

The confidence vote is expected to be held at about 1900 GMT on Wednesday.

The defeat is a huge blow for Mrs May, who has spent more than two years hammering out a deal with the EU.

The plan was aimed at bringing about an orderly departure from the EU on 29 March, and setting up a 21-month transition period to negotiate a free trade deal.

The vote was originally due to take place in December, but Mrs May delayed it to try and win the support of more MPs.

The UK is still on course to leave on 29 March but the defeat throws the manner of that departure - and the timing of it - into further doubt.

MPs who want either a further referendum, a softer version of the Brexit proposed by Mrs May, to stop Brexit altogether or to leave without a deal, will ramp up their efforts to get what they want, as a weakened PM offered to listen to their arguments.

Laura Kuenssberg: May's nightmare

History was made tonight with the scale of this defeat - a higher figure than the wildest of numbers that were gossiped about before the vote.

But the prime minister's dilemma is a more serious version of the same it's always been.

She has no majority of her own in Parliament to make her middle way through stick. And her many critics don't agree on the direction she should take - a more dramatic break with the EU, or a tighter, softer version.

Those two fundamental and clashing positions have always threatened to pull her and the government apart.

Read more from Laura

The Brexit debate has cut across traditional party lines.

Some 118 Conservative MPs - from both the Leave and Remain wings of her party - voted with the opposition parties against Mrs May's deal.

And three Labour MPs supported the prime minister's deal: Ian Austin (Dudley North), Kevin Barron (Rother Valley) and John Mann (Bassetlaw).

The most controversial sticking point was the issue of the Northern Irish backstop - the fallback plan to avoid any return to physical border checks between the country and Ireland.

Mrs May had hoped new assurances from EU leaders this week, saying the backstop would be temporary and, if triggered, would last for "the shortest possible period", would help her garner more support.

But in the debate leading up to the vote, members from all sides of the House said the move did not go far enough.

Please upgrade your browser to view this interactive Did my MP vote For or Against the Brexit deal? Enter a postcode, or the name or constituency of your MP

Click here if you cannot see the look-up. Data from Commons Votes Services.

In normal times, such a crushing defeat on a key piece of government legislation would be expected to be followed by a prime ministerial resignation.

But Mrs May signalled her intention to carry on in a statement immediately after the vote.

"The House has spoken and this government will listen," she told MPs.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a no confidence motion

She offered cross-party talks to determine a way forward on Brexit, if she succeeded in winning the confidence vote.

Former foreign secretary and leading Brexiteer Boris Johnson said it was a "bigger defeat than people have been expecting" - and it meant Mrs May's deal was now "dead".

But he said it gave the prime minister a "massive mandate to go back to Brussels" to negotiate a better deal, without the controversial Northern Ireland backstop.

And he said he would back Mrs May in Wednesday's confidence vote.

Labour MP Chuka Umunna said that if his leader did not secure a general election, Mr Corbyn should do what the "overwhelming majority" of Labour members want and get behind a further EU referendum.

Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable, who also wants a second referendum, said Mrs May's defeat was "the beginning of the end of Brexit" - but conceded that campaigners would not get one without Mr Corbyn's backing.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Mrs May had suffered "a defeat of historic proportions" and called again for the Article 50 "clock to be stopped" in order for another referendum to take place.

"We have reached the point now where it would be unconscionable to kick the can any further down the road," she said.

However, government minister Rory Stewart said there was no majority in the Commons for any Brexit plan, including another referendum.

How a confidence motion works

By the BBC's head of political research Peter Barnes

Under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act 2011, UK general elections are only supposed to happen every five years. The next one is due in 2022.

But a vote of no confidence lets MPs decide on whether they want the government to continue. The motion must be worded: "That this House has no confidence in Her Majesty's Government."

If a majority of MPs vote for the motion then it starts a 14-day countdown.

If during that time the current government, or any other alternative government cannot win a new vote of confidence, then an early general election would be called.

That election cannot happen for at least 25 working days.

MPs are set to debate Labour's no confidence motion for about six hours following Prime Minister's Questions at 1200.

Mr Corbyn said it would allow the House of Commons to "give its verdict on the sheer incompetence of this government".

But DUP leader Arlene Foster said her party, which keeps Mrs May in power, would be supporting her in Wednesday's confidence vote.

She told the BBC MPs had "acted in the best interests of the entire United Kingdom" by voting down the deal.

But she added: "We will give the government the space to set out a plan to secure a better deal."

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Boris Johnson said the majority of 230 in Parliament is "perhaps a bigger defeat than people had been expecting"

In her statement to MPs, Mrs May said she planned to return to the Commons next Monday with an alternative plan - if she survives the confidence vote.

She said she would explore any ideas from cross-party talks with the EU, but she remained committed to delivering on the result of the 2016 referendum.

But European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the risk of a disorderly Brexit had increased as a result of the deal being voted down.

He said the agreement was "the only way to ensure an orderly withdrawal" and that he and President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, had "demonstrated goodwill" with additional clarifications this week to put MPs minds at rest.

"I urge the United Kingdom to clarify its intentions as soon as possible," he said. "Time is almost up."

Mr Tusk said he regretted the outcome of the vote and later tweeted to ask "who will finally have the courage to say what the only positive solution is?"

A statement from the Irish government also said it regretted the decision and that it "continues to believe that ratification of this agreement is the best way to ensure an orderly withdrawal of the UK".

It also said it will "continue to intensify preparations" for a no deal Brexit. </s> MPs are to vote on the Government’s EU Withdrawal Agreement on Friday.

But the motion will not count as a third attempt to pass a “meaningful vote” on Theresa May’s deal, because it will not cover the future relationship with Europe.

Commons Speaker John Bercow cleared the motion for debate, ruling that it complies with parliamentary conventions which bar ministers from asking MPs to vote repeatedly on the same proposals.

If passed by MPs on Friday, the vote would qualify the UK to be granted an automatic delay to May 22 of the formal date of Brexit.

But it would not allow Parliament to go ahead and ratify the withdrawal deal, as Brexit legislation allows this only after the passage of a “meaningful vote” on both the Withdrawal Agreement and a Political Declaration on the future relationship.

Moving the motion to enable the debate to take place on March 29 – initially slated as Brexit day – the Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom urged MPs to back the deal “so that we can leave the EU in an orderly way that gives businesses and people the certainty that they need”.

Labour has already declared that it will not back the Government in Friday’s vote, warning that it risked “the blindest of all blind Brexits”.

Downing Street has said that Mrs May will not move to a third meaningful vote – known in Westminster as MV3 – unless she believes she has a realistic chance of success, having seen it defeated by 230 votes in January and 149 in March.

But it is understood that Number 10 believes that passing the Withdrawal Agreement alone would allow the UK to guarantee its departure date and avoid the need for Britain to take part in European Parliament elections on May 23-26.

This would buy time to seek wider agreement among MPs on the shape of the UK’s future relationship with the EU, in the hope of passing MV3 in April and leaving with a deal on May 22.

Significant doubts remain over whether Mrs May can secure a majority for the Withdrawal Agreement alone on Friday.

The Agreement includes the controversial “backstop” customs arrangements for the Irish border which continue to represent the biggest obstacle to support from the DUP and Brexit-backing Tories in the European Research Group.

And shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer made clear that Labour does not support the separation of the Withdrawal Agreement from the Political Declaration.

The move could leave the UK facing “a Boris Johnson Brexit, a Jacob Rees-Mogg Brexit or a Michael Gove Brexit” after Mrs May stands down, he warned.

“We would be leaving the EU, but with absolutely no idea where we are heading,” Sir Keir told a conference of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

“That cannot be acceptable and Labour will not vote for it.”

If the motion fails, the UK will have until April 12 to ask for a further extension to Brexit negotiations – which would require voters to choose new MEPs – or leave the EU without a deal.
The UK's parliament rejects Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal by 149 votes. A vote for leaving the European Union without a deal is scheduled for the thirteenth of March. If Parliament rejects the decision to leave with no deal, the UK could request its withdrawal from the EU be postponed with the unanimous consent of the other 27 member states.