Theresa May’s Government has suffered a humiliating loss in Parliament as around a dozen Tory MPs voted with the Opposition to ensure a “meaningful vote” on any Brexit deal.
Tory rebels rallied around ringleader Dominic Grieve, whose amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill squeezed through the Commons on a majority of four.
Delighted Remainers have now co-opted one of Vote Leave’s best-known catchphrases from the Referendum campaign to claim they’ve “taken back control” of Parliament.
Parliament has taken back control. The final Brexit deal will have to be approved by Parliament. Hats off to the Tory rebels who held firm and stuck to their principles. #EUWithdrawalBill #Amendment7
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) December 13, 2017
Glad Parliament just voted to #takebackcontrol #brexitbill
— Angela Eagle (@angelaeagle) December 13, 2017
Brexiteers said leaving the EU would give the UK a chance to “take back control” of its borders and its laws, with no more meddling from Brussels.
It wasn’t just Labour MPs tweeting the phrase either – former education secretary Nicky Morgan did the same following the vote.
Tonight Parliament took control of the EU Withdrawal process #Article7
— Nicky Morgan MP (@NickyMorgan01) December 13, 2017
MPs approved the amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill by 309 votes to 305.
Conservative former attorney general Grieve led the rebellion via his amendment seven, which would require any Brexit deal to be approved by a separate act of Parliament before it could be implemented.
Minutes before the vote, Justice minister Dominic Raab sought to appease would-be rebels by saying the Government would rewrite the Bill to guarantee concessions it had offered but was faced with shouts of “too late” by some MPs on his side.
In the end, 11 Tories voted against, including Conservative party vice chairman Stephen Hammond, who has since been sacked from his role.
Tonight MPs have taken back control for the British people. We will scrutinise the Brexit process on behalf of our constituents, and we will not tolerate a #Brexit that damages our economy or our great country. (4/4)
— Chuka Umunna (@ChukaUmunna) December 13, 2017
Remainers are adamant that this is what Leave voters wanted.
Prominent Tory rebel Anna Soubry told Sky News: “Nobody takes any pleasure and certainly I don’t when the Government loses a vote, these are important things.
“But this was a really important moment because it was about actually delivering what the Government said it wanted to do, which was to have a meaningful vote in this place.
“The truth is Parliament has been excluded from the whole of the Brexit process and now we’re back in the frame, and that means we can represent all our voters.”
Government loses key Brexit vote, meaning Parliament has taken back control over Brexit.
Brexiteers cannot complain. Their whole premise for Brexit was that we needed to take back control and protect our sovereignty.#Amendment7 #brexitbill
— Amy 📚 (@thisisamy_) December 13, 2017
Some Tory MPs used Twitter to call out their colleagues, with Michael Fabricant saying the vote’s result showed “no respect” to the referendum.
#Labour’s cheers in the Chamber of @HouseofCommons should have been cause for deep reflection by the likes of Anna Soubry and Dominic Grieve.
A shallow victory for the #Remainers, but a victory for #Labour morale and polling.
No respect for #EUReferendum result.
— Michael Fabricant (@Mike_Fabricant) December 13, 2017
Nadine Dorries, who said she’d “been a rebel myself, but never when a Marxist government was knocking at the door”, called for MPs to be deselected.
Tonight, the Tory rebels have put a spring in Labours step, given them a taste of winning, guaranteed the party a weekend of bad press, undermined the PM and devalued her impact in Brussels. They should be deselected and never allowed to stand as a Tory MP, ever again.
— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) December 13, 2017
A Downing Street spokesman said: “Today the European Parliament voted to move on to the next phase of talks in our departure from the European Union and tomorrow the Prime Minister will be attending European Council in Brussels, working towards the deep and special partnership we all want to see.
“We respect the will of the House and will continue to focus on preparing the country to leave the EU in March 2019.”