May survives Tory rebellion on ‘meaningful’ Brexit vote – but at what cost?

Confusion reigns after last-minute
concession sees government avoid defeat

One-Minute Read

The prime minister won the key vote on giving parliament a
“meaningful vote” on Brexit – although only by offering Tory rebels
a “significant concession” reports The Guardian.

How did the day unfold?

MPs voted by 324 votes to 298 – a majority of 26 – to reject the
amendment passed in the Lords enabling parliament to take charge of
the negotiating strategy if MPs voted against the Brexit deal in
the autumn.

It followed a frantic 24 hours in which government whips sought
to bully, bribe and corral potential rebels.

Just hours before the crunch vote, the prime minister suffered
her first ministerial resignation over Brexit as justice minister Phillip
Lee quit so he could speak out freely against the government’s
strategy.

Lee accused the government of trying to “limit” Parliament’s
role and called for another referendum to be held when the final
direction of Brexit becomes clear.

Earlier in the day the Daily Telegraph claimed four other
ministers were prepared to quit over May’s handling of Brexit
negotiations, and with a number of Tory MPs signalling they would
vote for the amendment, the government was forced into a
last-minute compromise to avoid defeat.

What is the significance of the vote?

The vote means the government effectively agreed to the demands
set out by leading rebel Dominic Grieve, which states that in the
event Parliament rejects the final deal, the ministers would then
have to seek MPs’ approval for its new negotiating position within
seven days.

The Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn described this as a “big climb down”
by the government; ceding a vote to MPs on how it proceeds and
meaning the Commons will be able to direct Brexit negotiations if
no deal is reached by the end of November this year.

Tweeting after the vote, Lee said Theresa May has “given her
word” that the government will now give parliament a “voice” in the
Brexit process.

But as the dust settled, both sides were left scratching their
heads as to what had actually been promised.

The Economist’s John Peet said his conclusion from today was: “as so
often before, is that May is good at surviving at home – by putting
off hard choices and making concessions. Not clear this works so
well in Brussels, where she is being driven to a soft Brexit of
transition, customs union and much of single market.”

Meanwhile, Business Insider’s Adam Payne tweeted the “one big outcome from today’s
circus = no deal Brexit just about dead. Government compromise
gives MPs power to veto it. The threat of UK walking out of talks
no longer serious (not that Brussels thought it was anyway). Rees
Mogg & co truly on the back foot — how do they respond?”

But according to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, government sources
are not reading quite as much into the concession as Tory
pro-Europeans.

But one senior Brexiteer talking to Alex Wickham, who works for
the pro-Brexit Guido Fawkes website, said: “If Theresa and Julian
have sold us out here they are in real trouble. She reassured us
all at the 1922. There is no way she can recover if she has now
f***ed us over.”

“The full scale of the Government’s concessions are expected to
emerge in the coming days” says the Daily Telegraph, “with a new amendment
expected when the Bill returns to the House of Lords in the coming
weeks”.