Summary

  • MPs vote by 286 to 344 to reject the government’s withdrawal agreement - on the day the UK was due to leave the EU

  • The Commons has been debating a motion on the terms of the UK's exit

  • The political declaration, which sets out the future relationship, was not considered

  • The vote - the third time the government had been defeated over its deal - throws the UK’s plans into more confusion

  • Theresa May says the result will have "grave" implications and the "legal default" was that the UK would leave the EU on 12 April

  • Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urges the PM to call an election

  • Thousands of Leave supporters gather outside Parliament to protest against Brexit delay

  1. Government downplaying DUP Wilson's comments - sourcespublished at 14:58 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    In an article for the Telegraph, external, the DUP's Brexit spokesman said the party would not let Theresa May or Remainers in Parliament bully them into backing a toxic deal.

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  2. Hancock on election: 'I feel like Brenda from Bristol'published at 14:52 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    The health secretary tweets:

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  3. MPs debate bill on post-Brexit healthcarepublished at 14:51 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    Nurse on a ward at an NHS hospitalImage source, PA

    In the Commons, MPs are debating amendments from the House of Lords to a Brexit-related bill on international healthcare.

    The legislation would give the health secretary new powers to renegotiate reciprocal healthcare arrangements with the EU and non-EU countries.

    It would allow the government to fund and arrange healthcare outside the UK, and put in place data-processing provisions to underpin agreements.

    The Lords has suggested limiting the scope of the bill to simply replacing pre-Brexit healthcare arrangements with EU and EEA states, rather than granting powers for new deals.

  4. How indicative votes might workpublished at 14:47 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    ITV News political correspondent tweets:

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  5. 'I think we will end up getting a good deal'published at 14:46 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    BBC Radio 5 Live

    Paula

    Paula is self-employed and was going for a haircut when she spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live reporter Rowan Bridge in Macclesfield, Cheshire.

    Paula says she thinks the government has handled the Brexit talks badly: “None of us knew what it entailed, there was no plan beforehand, so people have made probably uninformed decisions on their vote and we all know what’s happened since.”

    However, she believes it will work out: “The fact that they keep delaying it doesn’t fill me with much faith, however I would have thought with the strength of the UK in business that we will end up getting a good deal and it won’t affect the businesses too much.”

    She says she thinks a lot of people have overreacted about the impact of Brexit: “It’s more of a clear-cut thing, for the simple fact the UK will be able to make their own decisions rather than rely on other countries for it."

    Have your say: Text 85058 @bbc5live, external

  6. May will 'definitely attend' 1922 committee meetingpublished at 14:45 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    Chief political correspondent at the Daily Telegraph tweets:

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  7. Ask us about Brexitpublished at 14:40 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

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  8. Mitchell: No two MPs think the same waypublished at 14:34 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    Andrew MitchellImage source, PA

    Andrew Mitchell, a former Conservative chief whip, said: "No two members of Parliament think precisely the same way on all these issues.

    "Most of us are trying to do our very best to look after the interests of those who sent us here to represent them.

    "It is quite late, and that is a troubling factor.

    "With hindsight, clearly we should never have moved away from the EU (view) that nothing is decided until everything is decided.

    "With hindsight, moving Article 50 before we knew where we were going was a mistake, but we were all complicit in that.

    "With the assertion last night of the role of Parliament, my friends and colleagues in the ERG can see the instruments of torture laid out in front of them, and may be they will, as clever Brexiteers like Jacob Rees-Mogg have been beginning to sound a lot less hostile to Mrs May's deal."

  9. Deal will 'keep Brexit rather than lose it completely'published at 14:27 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    BBC home affairs correspondent tweets...

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  10. Will PM refuse a free vote?published at 14:25 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    Robert Peston, ITV's political editor, has said in a tweet thread, external, that Theresa May "conveyed no sense at cabinet whether her ministers will be allowed to vote with their consciences" on the indicative votes tomorrow.

    He adds: "My hunch would be that if the PM, on advice of chief whip, stands firm and refuses free vote, there would probably be 'only' 10 resignations.

    "That's what ministers tell me to expect. But even 10, on top of yesterday's three, creates major headache for the PM."

  11. 'Brexit is never going to end'published at 14:24 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    The Guardian's chief political correspondent tweets...

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  12. Tory MP: May has not spoken to me for weekspublished at 14:19 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    Pauline Latham

    Conservative backbencher Pauline Latham, MP for Mid Derbyshire, says she has not spoken to Theresa May since just after Christmas.

    "She's decided I'm a lost cause.

    "If you're trying to talk to your troops, you should be taking them with you, not alienating them," she says, referring to Mrs May's address to the nation last week when she seemed to point a finger of blame at MPs.

    "I'm frustrated. We're all frustrated, and tired. We just want to get the deal through and we don't want to let people down," she adds.

  13. How should voting work?published at 14:17 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    BBC Newsnight presenter tweets:

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  14. Where's the EU at?published at 14:12 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    Katya Adler
    Europe Editor

    An inconclusive second referendum or general election would be a nightmare for the EU – keeping Brexit looming over EU affairs for the foreseeable future.

    Revoking Article 50 is described in Brussels as "the nuclear option" and is viewed as very unlikely as things stand.

    For now the EU does as Theresa May does: it takes one Brexit week, one Brexit day at a time.

    Brussels has told the prime minister if she is unable get her deal passed through parliament by 12 April, she needs to give them several days' warning as to what her Plan B might be.

    Few in the EU think she has one.

    EU leaders are pencilling in a possible Brexit summit around that time, in order for the prime minister to request a longer Brexit delay – or another short one until 22 May, to get the deal passed or to make last-minute preparations for a no-deal Brexit.

    Ask EU diplomats and officials about their plans beyond that and they start to go a bit cross-eyed.

    Read more from Katya here.

  15. DUP 'won't be bullied into backing toxic deal'published at 14:08 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    Telegraph political correspondent tweets:

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  16. Brexit 'chaos should never contaminate EU'published at 14:06 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    There have been strong reactions in the European Parliament to efforts by MPs to take greater control of Brexit.

    The deputy head of the main conservative bloc, Esteban Gonzalez Pons, tells a news conference that Britain must either leave next month when the extended deadline expires, or take part in European elections in May.

    "If they are going to remain, they should celebrate the European elections as any other country," he says.

    "If they are not going to remain, they should leave the European Union immediately - with an agreement or without an agreement.

    "But the chaos that they have in British politics should never contaminate the European Union."

  17. Leadsom: Brexit date 'has changed in international law'published at 14:03 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Andrea LeadsomImage source, HoC

    Tory Brexiteer Peter Bone says he is "surprised" that tomorrow's statutory instrument will name two new dates for Brexit - depending on whether the deal is passed this week.

    He asks whether he is "right in thinking" that until this secondary legislation is passed, the UK is still due to leave the EU this Friday "at least domestically".

    Andrea Leadsom replies that the conclusions from last week's EU summit "came into force last Friday", meaning the departure date "has already changed in international law".

    A rejection of the statutory instrument, she says, "would create a clash in UK law" relating to various other pieces of Brexit legislation, she adds.

  18. A bit more on the Easter break...published at 14:00 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    BBC political correspondent tweets:

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  19. 'Cancel Easter'published at 13:59 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    Huffington Post's politics executive editor tweets...

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  20. Indicative votes could 'spook' MPs into supporting the dealpublished at 13:58 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March 2019

    The World at One
    BBC Radio 4

    Reacting to Commons leader Andrea Leadsom's statement, the Institute for Government's Hannah White says the government might be considering holding a vote on the withdrawal agreement on Thursday.

    "They might have another go at the meaningful vote if they think they have got enough support, or if the process of Parliament being in control on Wednesday spooks enough MPs into thinking Brexit might not happen at all unless they support the prime minister's deal," she says.