Tory MPs despair as May loses another Brexit vote, with Article 50 delay on the horizon

Brexit is set to be delayed beyond 29 March after a tumultuous night in parliament saw a complete breakdown in Conservative party discipline.

MPs backed taking no-deal off the table by 321 to 278, with 12 members of the government – including four cabinet ministers – refusing to follow Theresa May’s orders and vote against the move.

After the defeat, May announced that even if a deal was agreed in parliament by next Wednesday, the Brexit date would now have to be moved to 30 June.

If MPs still do not back a withdrawal agreement within the next week, May warned the EU could insist on a much longer delay – perhaps even years – and the UK would have to take part in the upcoming European Parliament elections.

A Downing Street spokesperson was unable to confirm if the ministers who abstained on the vote – including Amber Rudd, David Gauke, Greg Clark and David Mundell – would be sacked for shattering the principle of collective cabinet responsibility.

In a tweet late last night, Tory backbencher James Duddridge said: “How on earth can the government ask backbenchers to support a three-line whip if government ministers refuse to do so?”

Fellow Brexiter Mark Francois said: “Collective responsibility has disintegrated hasn’t it? You might as well tell the whips office to pack up and go home.”

The government’s motion would have given MPs a chance to register opposition to a no-deal exit, while recognising that it remained the legal default in the absence of another plan.

However, an amendment attached by Labour MP Yvette Cooper went further, calling for the government to commit to ruling out no-deal entirely. This amendment passed by 312 to 308, completely changing the dynamic of the main motion, which May had promised a free vote on.

With the amended motion now stating that the government should rule out no-deal completely, the Tory whips scrambled to order their MPs to vote against it.

The frantic change of plan left Tories bewildered in the Commons chamber as they agonised over which way to vote. Defence minister Tobias Ellwood – one of the leading advocates for a free vote on the matter – sat alone on the government benches pondering his options for at least ten minutes before deciding to defy party orders and abstain. He was one of over a dozen ministers to do so.

With the chance of a sizeable Brexit delay looking increasingly likely, some Tory MPs who voted against May’s deal on Tuesday are now coming to the conclusion they will have to back it if they want to leave the EU in the near future.

A senior Tory MP told CityAM last night he was “incandescent”, adding: “This is no way to run a bar, let alone one of the greatest countries in the world. It’s a disgrace.”

Another Brexiter, Steve Baker, said he would block any attempt to bring May’s deal back for a third vote, despite other Brexiters appearing to soften their stance last night.

Edwin Morgan, interim director general of the Institute of Directors, urged MPs to find a compromise deal which would end the uncertainty facing businesses.

“For far too long, the real interests and concerns of employers and their staff have played second fiddle to the political psychodrama that our trading partners and competitors have been watching with bemusement,” he said.