Feeling overwhelmed by the endless Brexit drama? Don’t worry, here are your key takeaways for the day:
Our live coverage of the day’s Brexit developments is now coming to an end. But head here for the latest movements on this story.
Moments ago, British Prime Minister Theresa May took to the podium outside Number 10 to address the nation.
“I understand that [for] people getting on with their lives away from Westminster , the events of the last 24 hours have been unsettling,” the British leader said.
“Now MPs have made it clear what they don’t want, we must all work constructively together to set out what Parliament does want.”
May said she had already conducted meetings with the Liberal Democrats, SNP and Plaid Cymru. She added that talks between several other parties would take place tomorrow and expressed her disappointment over opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s refusal to participate.
“The door remains open,” she said.
Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweets that UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s first steps for all party discussions must be to remove the option of a no-deal Brexit.
His tweet was accompanied by a video from the House earlier tonight where Corbyn called for May to take the option off the table.
A spokesman for Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn confirmed Downing Street reached out to the party ahead of tonight’s vote over potential cross-party discussions, the UK’s Press Association reports.
Accounting for Corbyn’s position on the no-deal course of action, the spokesperson said: “The blackmail is that by attempting to run down the clock and hold the threat of the country going over a cliff-edge into a no-deal outcome…that makes it more difficult to reach a real and effective deal.”
British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to make a statement outside 10 Downing Street at 10 p.m. (5 p.m. ET).
Conservative MP Guy Opperman tells CNN that Labour needs to stop playing politics and come to the table.
“I’d like Labour to stop playing politics, get round the table, and identify specifically what in the withdrawal agreement and the political agreement they manifestly disagree with, because until they spell out their position – and the other parties, but the main one is Labour – we don’t know where the common ground is,” Opperman said.
While most parties welcomed an invitation to discuss the Brexit impasse tonight with Theresa May, it’s not going to be a straight forward affair.
Lawmakers from the SNP, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties all emphasized the importance of taking the option of a no-deal Brexit off the table.
But May could alienate her own party by ditching the option, according to political analyst Carole Walker. Watch the video below for more:
Here’s a breakdown of how lawmakers in the House of Commons voted tonight.
Ayes: 306
Labour - 251
Scottish National Party - 35
Liberal Democrat - 11
Plaid Cymru - 4
Independent - 4
Green Party - 1
Noes: 325
Conservative - 314
Independent - 1
Democratic Unionist Party - 10
The Scottish National Party’s leader in Westminster,?Ian Blackford,?says he will embrace the offer for all-party talks with Theresa May and her government.
He adds: “However, I do think it is important in that regard that we make it clear to the prime minister, in the spirit of openness in these talks, that the issue of extending article 50, a people’s vote and avoiding a no deal have to be on the table.”?
Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is called on a point of order but lots of jeering from the benches interrupts his start.
After House speaker John Bercow brings the room to order, Corbyn outlines the numerous government defeats of recent days.
Throughout the entirety of Corbyn’s remarks, the chamber is filled with raucous jeering.
Though on the surface of it, Theresa May’s victory looks narrow, it was always expected to be very close.
There are 650 seats in the House of Commons. 317 belong to May’s Conservatives; 256 belong to Labour; 35 belong to the Scottish Nationalists; 11 to the Liberal Democrats; 10 to the Democratic Unionists Party; 8 to the independents; 7 to Northern Ireland’s Sinn Fein (who in protest at rule from Westminster do not take their seats); 4 to the Welsh Plaid Cymru; 1 Green; and 1 to the speaker of the house, who though a Conservative, does not vote in parliamentary votes.
May currently has a confidence and supply arrangement with the DUP, giving her 327 votes. The rest are opposition and were whipped to vote against the government. There are always abstentions for various reasons. Only 631 MPs voted in tonight’s vote (a high turnout).
So while this vote may at a glance look as though it squeaked through, it was always going to be the case.
British Prime Minister Theresa May immediately steps up after the result is read out. She says she is pleased at the outcome and does not take the responsibility of premiership lightly.
“My government will continue to increase our prosperity, guarantee our security and to strengthen our union. And yes, we will also continue to work to deliver on the solemn promise that we made to the people of this country to deliver on the result of the referendum and leave the European Union,” she says.
May announces that cross-party talks will begin immediately (as in tonight!) which is greeted by loud “ahhhhhs” from the chamber.
“I’ve proposed a series of meetings between senior parliamentarians and representatives of the government in the coming days and I would like to invite the leaders of parliamentary parties to meet with me individually and I would like to start these meetings tonight,” she says.
May concludes by saying her government will approach these all party discussions in a constructive spirit and hopes others would do the same. She adds that she will return to Parliament on Monday to make a statement about next steps.?
Theresa May will stagger on as Prime Minister after her government won a confidence vote, but the path forward for Brexit remains unclear.
May’s government won by 325 to 306.
Lawmakers are now leaving the chamber and voting on the no-confidence motion.
Michael Gove, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, is speaking to the House ahead of no-confidence vote at the top of the hour.
He says previous speaker Tom Watson, who closed the debate on the motion for the opposition party, did not identify why Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn should be Prime Minister.
The Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster and Parliamentary Leader Nigel Dodds have met with the Prime Minister Theresa May in Westminster.?
Foster described the discussion as “useful.”
Referring to May’s historic loss, Foster said lessons needed to be learned and the issue of the backstop needed to be handled.
The DUP leader then confirmed the party would be supporting the Prime Minister in tonight’s motion of no-confidence.
“In keeping with our commitments in the Confidence and Supply agreement, which has benefitted every sector of society in Northern Ireland, the DUP is supporting the Government this evening so that we can concentrate on the real challenges ahead of us,” Foster said.
A senior EU official has told CNN that the defeat of UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s EU withdrawal deal illustrates “the problem is more profound than simply the backstop” and the proposed cross party talks will do little to find consensus.
“The problem is a lack of consensus in the British political system on where they want to go,” the official continued highlighting different motives for while the deal was struck down including the Irish backstop, customs union and identity issues.
“Theresa May never pursued a consensus approach but one solely based on her majority. Now it will be hard to find a cross party position that is in line with the EU’s red lines… We were asking them since last year to come back and tell us what is necessary to find a majority.”
The official said the ball is with London for the time being, leaving the EU to watch and wait. They said the crushing defeat of the Baron amendment (proposed to give the UK the right to terminate the Irish border backstop unilaterally) indicated the there were more widespread problems preventing Westminster MPs from backing the deal.
When pressed on the idea of a second referendum or an extension of Article 50, the senior official waived it off.
“I have my doubts whether she is capable of asking for [an extension]. Asking for it will result in a big drama in her party. If she’s not doing it soon she will be probably be pushed for it by Parliament. We will take it when it comes. [The request for extension] has to have a sense of purpose. It can’t simply postpone the cliff edge.”
The official said it was unclear how the EU would respond to an extension request as it has yet to be discussed at the political level.
A pregnant lawmaker has been told she will be “nodded through” Wednesday’s vote of no confidence in Theresa May’s government.
Tulip Siddiq, an opposition Labour MP who is likely to vote against the government this evening, went against the advice of her doctors and delayed the birth of her second child to attend Parliament for the crucial Brexit vote on Tuesday.
Presently there is no protocol for proxy voting in Parliament.
Siddiq said “nodding through is not ideal” as she will still have to travel to Parliament and wait for whips to confirm her presence.
“The UK is in chaos and, clearly, much greater issues face the country, but Parliament needs dragging into the 21st century ASAP,” she ended.
Outside UK Parliament, CNN’s Julia Chatterley has been talking to MP Andrew Murrison of the Conservative Party and Labour’s Peter Kyle ahead of tonight’s no-confidence vote.
Murrison ruled out any other outcome than a win for the Prime Minister. He said her next steps after would be to commence cross-party talks and then bring those suggestions to the European Union in a bid to resolve any outstanding issues.
Kyle did not seem to disagree that May would prevail on Wednesday, but added that all party discussions were “too little, too late.”
“The thing that really worried me today was that Theresa May came back entirely hubristic, entirely set on no changes at all. She gave no hint at all, in fact the complete opposite, that she’s even willing to discuss any of her red lines,” Kyle continued.
Towing the party line, Murrison reiterated that May was simply doing what the country voted for – to leave the bloc. He added that there was a lot of good in May’s deal, which was voted down in a historic defeat last night, and insisted that there were just a few sticking points to resolve, including the Irish border backstop.
“To get the best chance of this going through, she’s going to have to go back to the EU and say it’s this protocol that’s the problem and we’re going to have to remove it or put a sunset clause on it,” Murrison explained.
Debate continues in the House of Commons. But those looking for some background tunes befitting the Brexit drama may look no further than this handy checklist from Politico Europe correspondent Lili Bayer.
Throughout today’s debate, May repeatedly told Parliament she was going to reach across party lines to find a Brexit consensus.
The reality has been very different, according to opposition MPs.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he’s yet to receive an invitation to cross-party talks, and Labour MP Yvette Cooper hit out at the PM’s refusal to rethink any of her red lines.
European leaders have also criticized the lack of cross-party dialogue, telling UK politicians, if we can do it – so can you.
It’s time for UK political parties to “come out of the trenches” and engage in “cross-party cooperation,” the European Parliament’s chief negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt told reporters Wednesday.
The result of yesterday’s vote hardly came as a surprise to European leaders.
But as Detlef Seif, the deputy spokesman on European policy for Merkel’s CDU/CSU parliamentary group, told CNN: “We know what the majority of the House of Commons does not want, but we still do not know what they want.”
Theresa May has wrapped up her speech to Parliament with a blistering attack on Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, warning MPs: “What he has done to his party is a national tragedy, what he would do to the country would be a national calamity.”
The prime minister, who later today will face a no-confidence vote tabled by Corbyn, launched a stinging attack on the opposition leader’s record.
May hit out at Corbyn’s calls to dismantle NATO and his relationship with IRA members.
She added:
Meanwhile Labour MP Yvette Cooper said the Prime Minister was acting as if her deal had been “defeated by 30 and not 230” votes.
It’s something of a mixed picture for Europe ahead of tonight’s motion of no confidence in Theresa May’s government. UK stocks are down about five tenths of 1%. Traders are just getting their first opportunities to react to the drama from Westminster overnight.
The pound is trading relatively flat against the dollar.
Meanwhile Chancellor Philip Hammond held a call with representatives of the businesses in the UK but it did little to alleviate their concerns.
CNN spoke to several people on that call who shared a real sense of frustration. The chief of EYUK told CNN he is continuing to advise clients on a no-deal Brexit, telling them to put contingency plans in place.
Another economist said business hopes for the best but they have to prepare for the worst – a no deal is still on the table and so that has to be taken into consideration.
Theresa May’s government will face a no confidence vote in the House of Commons later today.
Here’s how that is likely to play out:
May is widely expected to win the confidence vote, as Conservatives and members of the DUP who were instrumental in the defeat of her Brexit deal less than 24 hours ago rally behind her.
The last time a UK government was defeated in a confidence vote was March 1979, when then opposition leader Margaret Thatcher challenged Labour PM James Callaghan.
The vote – which Callaghan’s government lost by a single vote – forced him to dissolve parliament and call an election, which Thatcher’s Conservatives won.
The debate in the House of Commons continues.
British Prime Minister Theresa May says: “Last night the House rejected the deal the government has negotiated with the European Union. Today it has asked a simpler question; should the next step be a general election??
“I believe that is worst thing we could do. It would deepen division when we need unity, it would bring chaos when we need certainty, and it would bring delay, when we need to move forward, so I think this House should reject this motion.?
“At this crucial moment in our nation’s history, a general election is simply not in the national interest.”
Compared to the carnival of protesters present yesterday, the streets outside Parliament resemble a ghost town this afternoon.
Hundreds of EU flags, and a handful of Union Jacks, still flutter – but today they’re tethered to lampposts, with only a handful of Remain-supporting campaigners braving the drizzle.
“There were a lot more of us yesterday, but people have jobs,” says Cynthia Potter, 48, who traveled from Cardiff to continue her protest.
“I think it’s important that parliament knows we’re here, that we want to be heard, and that we don’t respect the result of the referendum,” adds the Remain voter with dual UK-US citizenship.
“It was a non-binding, advisory opinion poll, and they’re treating it like it was this mandate from the people,” she adds, pointing out that the 3 million EU citizens in the UK weren’t able to vote.
Almost immediately after suffering a humiliating defeat on Tuesday night, Theresa May said that if her government were to win a no confidence vote, she would enter discussions with other parties.
But during Wednesday’s debate in the House of Commons, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn confirmed he had yet to hear from the Prime Minister’s office on any such talks.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron can run – but he can’t hide from the BBC, which stopped him while he was out on his morning jog to ask a few questions we’ve perhaps all been wondering.
The former Conservative leader, whose decision to call the referendum ultimately resulted in the UK voting to leave the EU, told the BBC: “I do not regret calling the referendum.”
If she wins tonight’s no confidence vote, Theresa May says she will hold talks with lawmakers from across the political spectrum to find a way out of the Brexit impasse.
At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, May vowed to listen to the views of others “in a constructive spirit.”
But she seems unwilling to back down on the so-called “red lines” she set out in her Lancaster House speech two years ago.
They included pledges that Britain would:
Labour politicians have called on May to consider allowing the UK to remain in the customs union, as a way to end the deadlock over Brexit.
On Wednesday, Downing Street told the UK’s Press Association that May remained committed to securing an “independent trade policy” – effectively ruling that out.
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell told the BBC’s Today program that May appeared to be?“laying conditions down about those discussions which look as though they will prevent any discussion of a permanent customs union.”
“She seems to be negating the discussions before they have even started.”
Veteran Conservative MP Ken Clarke told PMQs that May must accept she needs to “modify her red lines … and find a cross-party majority.”
While Westminster debates, Ireland has already begun implementing plans for a no-deal Brexit, according to Irish PM Leo Varadkar.
“A no-deal scenario would not protect the peace in Northern Ireland, so we have to work hard to avoid it,” Varadkar said Wednesday.
“At the same time our plans for a no-deal exit will continue. These are no longer contingency plans. They are being implemented by Government. Now businesses and other organizations, if they are not doing so, must do the same.”
The Taoiseach –- as the prime minister is known in Irish – also said Britain was to blame for Brexit and should therefore find the solution.
“We should never forget that Brexit is a British policy that originated in Westminster. After months of negotiation, we found a solution. That solution has now been rejected by Westminster. The problem now lies there.”
Conservative MP Justine Greening certainly thinks so. The lawmaker who defied the prime minister by calling for a second referendum, tells CNN another vote looks “more likely” following May’s defeat last night.
“We’re now starting to see something that to my mind has been clear for many months – which is that parliament’s gridlocked, and there isn’t a majority for anything,” said Greening.
“But we’ve got to go somewhere – and if that’s the case, that means we have to go back to the people,” she added.
Greening put the chances of a “People’s Vote” at around “seven out of 10” – a prediction that will hearten the thousands of anti-Brexit protesters who attended a rally outside Parliament last night.
But Greening is standing by the Prime Minister tonight at least, confirming that she will back May in the no-confidence motion against her government.
As expected, the prime minister is coming in for a hammering in parliament over her handling of Brexit.
She admits that if Westminster “fails to deliver on what the British people instructed us to do” and deliver Brexit, then “the view of politicians will be at an all time low.”
“We need to deliver Brexit for the British people.”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn opens Prime Minister’s Questions with a tongue-in-cheek apology to the House, saying that last night he described Theresa May’s defeat on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement as the biggest government defeat since the 1920s.
In fact, it was the biggest in parliamentary history.
Corbyn, who has tabled a no-confidence vote in the government, then asks May to confirm that “we cannot have no-deal”.
The Prime Minister replies: “There are actually two ways of avoiding no-deal – the first is to agree a deal, and the second would be to revoke Article 50.
“Now, that would mean staying in the European Union, failing to respect the result of the referendum, and that is something that this Government will not do.”
Prime Minister Theresa May is facing questions in the House of Commons less than 24 hours after the crushing defeat of her Brexit deal.
Gina Miller, the lawyer and anti-Brexit campaigner whose lawsuit forced last night’s meaningful vote to take place, tells CNN a second referendum is becoming more likely.
“But we’re not there yet,” she adds. “We need to knock out all the parliamentary options first.
“We are still at an impasse – irrespective of how momentous the loss was for Mrs May last night, it hasn’t really changed anything in the House.”
Miller is calling on the opposition Labour Party to back the campaign for a second referendum.
“If the front bench in Labour back a second referendum, then it will happen. That will be a seismic change,” she says. “Unless the Labour Party move, we could be seeing two, three, four weeks of chaos and impasse as the clock keeps ticking.”
A majority of Labour’s members support a second referendum, according to several opinion polls, but the party “needs to check in with the real-time will of the people,” Miller said, calling them “irresponsible” if they don’t do so.
A month after postponing a vote on the Brexit deal because she feared she would lose, Prime Minister Theresa May suffered a bruising – and massive – defeat in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
If you missed all the action, CNN’s Nick Glass has this look back at the day:
As the Brexit deal was voted down on Tuesday night, you could almost hear Europe’s leaders throwing up their hands in despair.
If British politicians can’t decide how to move forward, then where does that leave Brussels?
European Commission President Donald Tusk hinted at what many across the Channel were thinking:
Meanwhile the European Parliament’s top Brexit negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, called on UK political parties to “come out of the trenches,” adding it was time for “cross-party cooperation.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel kept it brief when she spoke to reporters Wednesday morning, saying she was “sorry” for the outcome and would be discussing contingency plans in the German parliament on Thursday.
Amid the political crisis gripping Britain, the European Union is stepping up its plans for a no-deal Brexit. And as Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen pointed out, the UK is quickly “running out of time.”
After the?history-making defeat?of her Brexit deal on Tuesday, Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May woke up this morning to a series of scathing front pages both in the UK and across the Channel.
British tabloid The Sun – known for its no-holds-barred headlines – even went as far as to depict the prime minister as a giant dodo with the words “Brextinct.”
Meanwhile the mood in Europe appeared more somber, with images of an ashen May splashed across the papers. France’s Les Echos perhaps summed it up best with the headline “Brexit: a leap into the unknown.”
Here are a few of the most eye-catching front pages:
You’re not the only one asking yourself that question this morning.
Luckily, Jane Merrick lays it all out in her excellent analysis here.
CNN’s Bianca Nobilo has also been looking into what’s next:
Last night’s Brexit hangover has barely subsided and MPs are already back in Parliament for the next round of debates – this time over a no-confidence vote on the PM.
Here’s today’s itinerary:
Sadly, more muddled than ever.
Theresa May’s Brexit deal is dead and buried. Her plan was royally rejected in record-breaking fashion: 432 votes to 202.
She now has 24 hours to save her government, which faces a motion of no confidence on Wednesday evening. If she loses, the country takes one step closer to a general election.
May has said that if she wins the vote, she will meet with other parties to find solutions to the impasse and relay them onto EU negotiators.
Regardless, Brexit day is still March 29 and the EU was not reassured by today’s vote. Shortly after the defeat, European Council President Donald Tusk demanded the UK “clarify its intentions” on its exit plan “as soon as possible.”
“Time is almost up,” warned President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.
We’re wrapping up our live coverage for the day, but head here for the latest developments.
Despite all the drama tonight in Westminster, very little has actually changed, writes CNN’s Luke McGee.
The prime minister’s mammoth loss leaves her with no clear options, the public with lots of questions and the country still hurtling towards its March 29 departure from the EU.
Next steps: Well, first May’s government faces a motion of no confidence which will be debated in the House of Commons on Wednesday evening (7 p.m. GMT/ 2 p.m. ET).
Will she lose that too? Don’t count on it. But if she does, May – or another leader – will have two weeks to form a new government and win a confidence vote. If that fails, we’re in general election territory.
Read McGee’s full analysis here:
European Parliament President Antonio Tajani tweeted his response to the events that unfolded in Westminster on Tuesday night.
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, said his government “regrets” the outcome in a tweet on his official account.
He continued: “The deal is the best possible deal and a disorderly exit would be negative for the #UE and catastrophic for the United Kingdom. Spain works on contingency measures and prioritizes the rights of citizens and residents.”
The Irish Government released a similar statement, saying that the result prolongs an uncomfortable limbo. It called upon Theresa May to outline her plan to resolve the stalemate.
“We will then consider what next steps to take in consultation with our EU partners,” the statement continued.
German Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the day as a “bitter day for Europe,” according to AFP.
“We are well prepared – but a hard Brexit would be the least attractive choice, for the EU and GB (Great Britain),” the news agency reported Scholz saying.
Former UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson spoke following the government’s defeat in the House of Commons.
Arlene Foster, leader of the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), welcomed tonight’s “No” vote on the proposed Brexit deal, saying the UK Parliament “acted in the best interests of the entire United Kingdom.”
In a statement, she continued:
Since the 2017 election, May has not held an overall majority in the Commons and has had to rely on the DUP to prop up her minority government.
The pound may have shrugged off tonight’s dramatic outcome, but leaders of Britain’s largest business groups appear less sanguine. Here’s what they said after the vote:
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive, the British Retail Consortium:
Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI Director-General:
Miles Celic, Chief Executive Officer, TheCityUK:
Catherine McGuinness, Policy Chair, the City of London Corporation:
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn filed a motion of no confidence in the UK government following the rejection of May’s Brexit agreement with the bloc.
What we know about the vote: It will take place Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. (2 p.m. ET).
How it works: The motion is put to the House, which then votes just like tonight (by walking into division lobbies). If the government loses the vote then May – or another leader – could attempt to form a new government and win the confidence of the House in 14 days.
If she is unsuccessful, a general election will be triggered – which could come as soon as 17 days after losing this second vote.
The British pound has reclaimed most of the ground it lost earlier in the day. It’s now trading at just over 1.28 against the dollar, almost flat on the day.
At one point before Theresa May’s Brexit vote it had been trading below 1.27 against the dollar, a drop of 1.5%.??
Read more from CNN Business:
In the immediate aftermath of her historic defeat, Theresa May touched on what is likely to happen next. Here’s her complete statement to the House:
Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, has raised the prospect that tonight’s vote could lead to Brexit being cancelled:
It should be noted that Tusk has always maintained Brexit is a bad idea, and made clear he wishes that Britain would stay in the EU.
And despite the political chaos in the UK, none of the main political parties currently supports reversing the referendum result.
Tonight’s vote in Parliament is the biggest defeat for any British government in modern history. The previous record was a 166-vote loss in 1924.
Earlier today, British newspapers made their predictions and it looks like pundits at the Telegraph were on the nose, tipping a majority of 230.
One other interesting breakout stat: 118 Conservative MPs voted against May – a massive rebellion.
Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, says he notes “with regret” the outcome of the Brexit vote, calling on the UK to say what it plans to do soon.
Ominously, he warns, “Time is almost up.”
The pound has remained stable after Theresa May’s Brexit deal was rejected in a crucial Parliamentary vote on Tuesday evening. It has continued to trade around 1% lower against the dollar, at a level of around 1.27 – similar to the level it was at before the vote.
Immediately after the historic vote, Theresa May says that given the scale of the defeat, the government will permit a no confidence motion to be debated.
As she sat down, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn confirmed he had tabled a no confidence vote, which will be heard on Wednesday.
In her brief remarks, May said she would also host discussions with other parties to see how she can find a resolution that would be acceptable to all.
Theresa May’s Brexit plan is crushed by 432 votes to 202 – a record margin.
The big moment has arrived: MPs are voting on the main Brexit agreement struck between British Prime Minister Theresa May and the European Union.
The John Baron Amendment (Amendment F) has been voted down – by a whopping 600 votes to 24.
Political analyst Carole Walker is joining our panel at Westminster tonight; she filmed this video of the scenes outside Parliament.
After the British PM ended her remarks, the Speaker, John Bercow turned to the proposed amendments on the deal.
However, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (Amendment A), the SNP (Amendment K) and Conservative MP Edward Leigh (Amendment B) all declined to move the amendments they had put forward earlier.
The House is now voting on the only remaining amendment.
Here’s a recap of what it proposes:
With just one amendment now before the House, the main vote on the Brexit bill itself will come much earlier.
The pound has fallen to its lowest level of the day ahead of this crucial Brexit vote.
It is trading at 1.27 against the dollar, down more than 1%. Earlier in the day it had been trading at around 1.29 against the dollar.
British PM Theresa May is calling on MPs to put party politics aside and think of their constituents.
Watch more from May below:
Theresa May is responding to Jeremy Corbyn’s speech and defending her agreement with the European Union in the House of Commons.
She tells lawmakers a general election is not what Britain needs right now.
She says the only thing a general election will ensure is two more months of uncertainty.
May says that the deal on the table tonight is the best that can be achieved and addresses those who think they can go back to EU negotiators saying they will not get a different outcome.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called on MPs to vote against the Brexit deal tonight, describing Theresa May’s agreement with the EU as “botched and damaging.”
“It’s not enough for the House to vote against the deal and against a no deal Brexit,” Corbyn insisted. “We have to be for something.
“So Mr Speaker, in the coming days, it is vital that this House has the opportunity to debate and vote on the way forward to consider all the options available.”
Corbyn also addressed the European Union directly saying, “If Parliament votes down this deal then reopening negotiations should not, and can not, be ruled out.”
“We understand why, after two frustrating years of negotiations … you would want this resolved. But this Parliament, our Parliament here, has only one duty: to represent the interests of the people of this country.”?
Large crowds have turned out for the latest People’s Vote rally in Parliament Square this evening. The group is demanding a referendum on the terms of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union.
Taking to the stage, Labour lawmaker?David Lammy told the crowd:
CNN’s Rob Picheta says there was a carnival-like atmosphere during Lammy’s speech, with more middle aged and older demonstrators participating rather than younger generations. He reports that people seem defiant, optimistic, and there is a sense among the crowd that this is a moment they can seize.
Michael Brett, 63, from north London, says he came out tonight because he is concerned about the future of his country.
“I’m very very worried about the future of my children and my grandchildren … we want to be heard. People feel unrepresented … both our major parties are Brexit parties … there’s a very unpleasant atmosphere in Britain today and I really hope this is all resolved to people’s mutual satisfaction,” he tells CNN.
As you will all know by now, the House is debating four amendments before tonight’s big vote on Theresa May’s Brexit agreement with the European Union. One of those to be tabled is from ex-Tory minister Edward Leigh.
With the rather catchy name of “Amendment B,” Leigh’s proposal makes it clear that the Irish border backstop is temporary and calls on the UK government to terminate the withdrawal treaty on January 1, 2022 should it become clear the EU will not agree to remove the backstop.
Leigh explained earlier in the House of Commons that he was looking for a middle ground when putting the amendment forward.
“What my amendment is trying to do is to achieve a compromise; to try and unite as many people as possible around a deal,” he said.
Leigh went on to say that despite trying his level best to assist May’s government, he would be left with no choice but to vote against the deal if the government opted not to support him.
Nigel Farage, the former UK Independence Party leader and one of the most vocal politicians during the Brexit campaign, tells CNN tonight’s vote should be straightforward.
“It’s very easy – 500 MPs voted to trigger article 50. The wording said we’ve got up to two years to negotiate the withdrawal agreement or failing that, I quote, we leave,” Farage says. “So we should just be leaving now on WTO (World Trade Organization) terms. Done and dusted, nice and easy.”
Farage says that the political drama that has unfolded in recent months stems from the fact that lawmakers don’t actually want to divorce the bloc.
“(The) problem is a huge majority of this parliament don’t want the UK to be independent, don’t want it to be separate from the European Union, and I just don’t see the circumstances in which they’ll accept it,” he adds.
While many are sympathizing with Theresa May today, as she tries to push through a Brexit deal no one can agree on, they should perhaps spare a thought for currency traders.
A smorgasbord of political options lay ahead depending on the margin of defeat this evening, with real implications for British financial services, exporters and the economy.
The British pound has been in a holding pattern since the prime minister cancelled the vote last month, clinging to a $1.27 - $1.28 handle.
In the event of a small defeat: Broadly considered to be under 100 votes by currency analysts, they suggest the pound could remain relatively flat.
And what if the defeat is more substantial? A defeat over 200 votes could see it fall much further, but not by the dizzying drops we’ve seen in the last two and a half years of Brexit turbulence.
The pound dropped dramatically against the dollar straight after the referendum.
It dipped below the $1.20 mark at the start of 2017, in anticipation of May’s Lancaster House speech, where she would announce Britain’s departure from the Single Market.
It soared to $1.40 at the beginning of 2018, on positive noises that the EU would agree a close trading relationship with the UK.
Short of crashing out of the EU at the end of March, or a shock victory for the Prime Minister today, we’re unlikely to see such stomach-churning moves in the next few days.
You can no longer bet on a hard Brexit versus soft Brexit – there are more options than that.
Kate Andrews, associate director of the Institute of Economic Affairs, provides an insight into just how tricky things could get for the British Prime Minister should her deal be defeated tonight.
“If it loses by a catastrophic level of defeat, then the PM is in a position where she could go to the Labour party and start arguing to bring in a customs union and get some Labour support there but that would be undermining her backbencher MPs,” Andrews says.
Watch the video below for more:
As things start to ramp up ahead of the vote, Conservative MP for Newbury Richard Benyon tells CNN: “I want to settle this. It’s not perfect but I want the businesses that employ my constituents to feel the certainty that this deal will bring. This is very much the lesser of two evils.”
He predicts events tonight will go down to the wire after speaking to others who tell him they are completely uncertain how they will vote.
He continues:
There’s lots of talk about the political landscape of the UK today, but let’s not forget how all this hullabaloo is being viewed in Brussels.
The purpose of the meaningful vote was to provide one thing: clarity. Clarity for business, for citizens, for the UK’s partners around the world. And to some extent it will – we will finally see exactly how hated May’s deal is and what needs to be done to get it through and avoid a hard crash out.
But it was also supposed to provide clarity for the most important partner to the UK in all of this: its fellow EU member states.
The political drama is being viewed rather dimly in Brussels.
For all the expected talk in the coming days over what the UK does now, the EU’s position will remain unchanged and the theater that will inevitably follow is not something anyone is looking forward to.
As one source familiar with the Brexit negotiations told CNN, the general mood is that after the vote “May will get on a plane and demand more from us instead of getting her own s*** together.” Oh dear oh dear.
Alistair Campbell, former spokesman for Tony Blair, tells CNN he is hoping for a People’s Vote, adding that a second referendum could help begin the “healing process” Britain desperately needs.
Campbell adds “I’m not pretending a second referendum would be easy or straightforward – every route out of this mess now is complex. But I do think you’ve got to try and get to the right place.”
Outside Westminster, what do voters think of the Brexit saga unraveling today?
CNN’s Phil Black traveled to the southern English town of Basingstoke to find out.
The comparisons with children continue as Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Ian Blackford tells Labour party members to “grow up,” “get off the fence” and back a second referendum.
“If you’re serious about politics, if you’re serious about responsibility, then grow up,” Blackford told the House of Commons during a debate on amendments to the bill.
The government’s chief legal adviser, Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, warned MPs they risked being viewed as “children in the playground” if they rejected May’s deal, the UK’s Press Association reported.
In his opening speech to the House of Commons during a debate on amendments to the deal, Cox said lawmakers were playing with people’s lives.”
In the dramatic speech, Cox told MPs that if they rejected the withdrawal bill, “thousands of contracts, thousands of transactions, thousands of administrative proceedings, of judicial proceedings in the European Union and this country, will be plunged into legal uncertainty.”
Parliament is still in the midst of debating four amendments to May’s deal. But one amendment which wasn’t selected by House Speaker John Bercow for debate came from MP Andrew Murrison.
Jane Merrick explains why Bercow’s decision could have a big impact on the number of Conservative Brexiters supporting May’s deal:
A heavily pregnant politician who has delayed her C-section in order to vote on the Brexit deal insists she did not take the decision lightly.
Doctors advised MP Tulip Siddiq she should deliver her baby on Monday or Tuesday, after she developed gestational diabetes.
The UK’s parliament has a longstanding agreement which “pairs” MPs who are absent with opposing members who agree not to vote; this should have allowed her to miss the crunch debate.
But Siddiq said she had “no faith in the pairing system,” saying the government had previously “stole[n] the vote of a new mother.”
Conservative party chairman Brandon Lewis broke the pairing arrangement last year, voting despite the absence of Jo Swinson, the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, who was on maternity leave.
Labour MP Rushanara Ali told CNN that people should have the right not just to vote on May’s Brexit deal, but whether to remain in the European Union at all.
“Since the actual referendum, people now have much more clarity about the option on the table and what it entails,” The MP for Bethnal Green and Bow in east London said outside Parliament.
“The People’s vote that we’re campaigning on is not a re-run – it’s saying, ‘This is the deal on the table. If you want it, you can vote for it.’”
Right now, there is one question on everyone’s mind in Westminster: how much will Theresa May lose by?
It’s no secret that everyone expects her to lose tonight’s Commons vote. The fallout then becomes a numbers game: how bad was the loss and can Theresa May continue trying to force her Brexit plan through parliament?
As recently as Monday, people close to May were pointing to predictions that the margin of defeat could be as high as 200+. Meanwhile, those wanting to see May fail were claiming that a defeat greater than 60 would do anything from force May to ditch her deal to resign as Prime Minister.
The battle of expectation management, allowing each side to claim victory, is well under way.
This PR war matters, because it’s political optics that will shape the next few days (reminder: May has to bring her “Plan B” back to Parliament within three days).
What number allows her to bring her deal back to the commons? What number sends her back to Brussels? What number makes a second referendum a legitimate option? What vote makes toppling May’s government a realistic possibility for the opposition?
Strap in, this is going to get hectic.
House speaker John Bercow has announced the four amendments which will be debated ahead of this evening’s vote.
They are a last chance for MPs to table changes to the deal – covering everything from the Irish border backstop to rejecting the Brexit deal altogether.
According to the UK’s Press Association, they are:
Votes on the four amendments are expected to begin at 7 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET), and take around 15 minutes each; the main vote on the Brexit bill itself will follow at roughly 8 p.m. (3 p.m. ET), with results expected soon after.
For more than two years – come rain, hail or shine – Leave and Remain campaigners have gathered outside the Houses of Parliament.
With just hours until MPs vote on May’s deal, the protesters were out in force again at Westminster on Tuesday morning.
You can read more about the the history of the Brexit campaigners here.
Victor Zanchi, 32, traveled to London from York to protest today. He’s wearing a plague doctor mask and carrying a sign reading “Stop Brexit.”
“Brexit is going to take us back to the Middle Ages,” he told CNN, explaining the mask.
“The agreement doesn’t do anything for either side. We can’t go any further towards healing the rifts between both sides if the vote is successful.”
Meanwhile, UKIP member Marietta King came from the Midlands to protest and said she also wants the bill to be voted down.
“It’s a bad bill, it’s not been properly thought out. It’s terrifying,” said King. “If we have that bill, we’d be worse off in the EU than we are now. The referendum gave an instruction for us to leave – it didn’t give an instruction to make a deal.”
The German government has denied a report in British newspaper The Sun that Chancellor Angela Merkel told British PM Theresa May the EU could still offer concessions if her deal is rejected.
“The content of the telephone conversation between the Chancellor and the Prime Minister is misrepresented by ‘The Sun,’ a government spokesperson told CNN.
“The Chancellor has given no assurances beyond those that were discussed in the European Council in December, and what is set out in the letter from Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk.”
Theresa May is widely is widely expected to lose this evening’s vote – but just how big a loss it will be is anyone’s guess, with some predicting she could face the largest Commons defeat of any UK prime minister.
According to Politico, the biggest defeat for any British government was Labour’s 166-vote loss back in 1924.
This morning, British newspapers are putting the numbers much higher:
The EU could hold new talks with the UK if May’s deal is rejected tonight – but don’t expect major changes – according to Germany’s foreign minister.
Heiko Maas told reporters at the European Parliament that “the agreement stands, as it is,” Reuters reported. “I doubt very much that the agreement can be fundamentally reopened.”
But he added: “If it goes wrong tonight, there could be further talks.”
One of the UK’s most high-profile Euroskeptics, Nigel Farage, said the British public “didn’t vote for a series of deals – they voted to Leave.”
Speaking on the BBC’s Jeremy Vine Show on Tuesday morning, Farage added:
He added that the country had two ways of exiting the bloc: “One was a withdrawal agreement; the other was on WTO terms, and that is what 500 MPs voted for.”
Lawmakers have started arriving at Parliament, and CNN’s Rob Picheta has been bracing the winter chill to ask some of them how they’ll be voting this evening.
Conservative MP Simon Hart voted Remain, but says he’ll be backing May’s deal tonight, adding that those who reject it will “only have themselves to blame if we end up with no Brexit at all.”
“I think the deal will be defeated tonight, not necessarily forever,” he said.
“There may be an opportunity for people to express their anger this evening and then to get behind some version of the deal between now and the deadline.”
It’s the confirmation we knew was coming, but nonetheless it deals a blow to May’s beleaguered deal.
Arlene Foster, leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and supposed ally of the Conservatives, says her party will be voting against the deal and its “toxic backstop.”
The controversial backstop – an insurance policy to prevent a hard border in Ireland – has been a thorn in the side of May’s deal.
Despite the PM seeking written assurances from the EU that in the unlikely event the backstop was invoked it would be for “the shortest possible period,” that does not appear to have been enough to placate MPs.
The Conservatives rely on the support of the DUP for their working majority in Britain’s 650-seat Parliament, and every vote is crucial for May’s deal to succeed.
If the drama of Brexit decision day wasn’t enough, Conservative MP Michael Gove has started quoting Game of Thrones in a bid to get lawmakers to back May’s deal.
“To anyone who like me voted to Leave: imagine if on the 23rd of?June in 2016 you’d been told you could have this deal. You would have bitten anyone’s hand off in order to secure this outcome,” Gove added.
“This deal is stage one –- we can improve this process. Because in stage two, as we negotiate the final stages of our trade and other relationships with the European Union, we can choose and we are in a stronger position,” he said.
If you wanted an indication of just how seriously lawmakers are taking today’s historic vote, look no further than Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, who has delayed the birth of her second child to attend the proceedings.
Siddiq postponed the date of her cesarean section by two days, her office confirmed to CNN. Siddiq’s husband, Christian Percy, will push her through the House of Commons lobby in a wheelchair.
After developing gestational diabetes, Siddiq was advised by medical professionals to deliver the baby either on Monday or Tuesday. She asked if she could move the date back to Thursday, and her doctors then agreed.
“If my son enters the world even one day later than the doctors advised, but it’s a world with a better chance of a strong relationship between Britain and Europe, then that’s worth fighting for,” the 36-year-old told?the Evening Standard.
Ahead of the vote, lawmakers are being given a last chance to table amendments to the deal – ranging from minor tweaks to major upheavals of the Brexit blueprint.
It’s then up to the House speaker, John Bercow, to select the ones he thinks all members of Parliament should vote on.
The amendment with perhaps the biggest potential to derail proceedings was proposed by Labour MP Hilary Benn, which rejected both the PM’s deal and a no-deal Brexit.
But just hours before the vote, Benn pulled his amendment, saying that the House of Commons “will soon have the opportunity to make it clear that it rejects no-deal.”
The MP for Leeds Central and the chair of the cross-party Exiting the European Union?Committee tweeted:
Before you strap yourself in for today’s Brexit ride, read Jane Merrick’s analysis of how today’s “meaningful vote” could pan out:
Shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday evening, British MPs face a choice that will affect the country’s 66 million citizens for many years to come.
They will either vote to support Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal, negotiated with the European Union, and set the country on its final road to leaving the EU on March 29. Or they will vote against it, leaving the UK Parliament, and the country, in the state of limbo it has inhabited for two-and-a-half years.
By every calculation and prediction, May will lose the vote. Her ruling Conservative Party and its ally, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), hold a bare majority in the 650-seat Parliament, but some estimates predict May’s Brexit bill could be defeated by more than 100 votes.
On the opposition benches, the Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, will demand a general election if May’s bill fails, hoping to pave the way for fresh talks between a new government and the EU.
