Brexit news: Theresa May set for new Commons showdown as whips employ 'dark arts'

Theresa May faces another knife-edge Commons vote on Parliament’s role in Brexit today.

Government whips were said to be using "dark arts" to try to win over Tory rebels before a vote on whether MPs get a "meaningful" say on the final deal with the EU.

The Prime Minister staved off a Tory rebellion on the move last week but faces a bruising battle in the latest round of voting after the proposed amendment was backed in the House of Lords.

Dominic Grieve, one of the leading figures in the stand-off, said he expected negotiations to "go right to the wire".

The possibility of a rebellion "all depends on where we go on the negotiations and at the moment I don't know the answer", the former attorney general added.

But Brexiteers are said to be increasingly confident of victory.

Tory Remainer Anna Soubry posted a lengthy statement about why she will rebel and denied being a "traitor".

"Getting Brexit right is vital and is the most important set of decisions our country has taken in decades," she wrote.

Prime Minister sees off potential rebellion over Brexit

"Whatever we were told during the Referendum, you can't simply unravel 43 years of membership of the EU in a year or two and getting a new trading deal is far from the 'simplest' of matters as we were assured."

Peers backed an amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, tabled by Viscount Hailsham, on Monday that would require the Government to allow MPs to vote on how it would proceed in the absence of a Brexit deal by January 21 next year.

MPs will now vote on whether to adopt the motion, which was brought in after pro-EU rebels led by Mr Grieve accused the Government of reneging on measures they believed had been agreed to see off a rebellion last week.

Prime Minister Theresa May has warned against any moves to "tie her hands" during negotiations with Brussels, saying that Parliament must not be able to "overturn the will of the British people".

Under government plans, if MPs reject the agreement reached by Mrs May with Brussels, or if no deal has been obtained by January 21, Parliament will be offered the opportunity to vote on a "neutral motion" stating it has considered a minister's statement on the issue.

Crucially, the motion will be unamendable, meaning MPs cannot insert a requirement for Mrs May to go back to the negotiating table, extend the Brexit transition or revoke the UK's withdrawal under Article 50.

The Commons vote comes as Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's Brexit co-ordinator, appears before MPs at hearings of the Exiting the EU and Home Affairs select committees.

Tory MP Phillip Lee said Brexit rebels could still potentially help defeat the government despite the "dark arts" of the whips to avert a revolt.

Dr Lee, who resigned as a minister in order to be able to vote against the government, said talks were still ongoing to find a compromise ahead of the Commons showdown on the so-called "meaningful vote" amendment.

Asked how united the rebels were, he told BBC Radio 4's Today: "We were always going to get the normal dark arts of Westminster taking place, fully expected, but my understanding is that the position taken by a number of colleagues is solid, which is why the government is still in negotiations."

He added: "I continue to be hopeful that the government will accept our position but fundamentally this is not about the Government, this is about Parliament and - I would argue - this is about my country, this is about securing a Brexit deal which is good for my country in the longer term."