EU dismay at May's humiliating defeat as Tory row descends into open warfare

Theresa May has been at loggerheads with her ministers as several openly contradicted each other over the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.

After MPs refused to support the prime minister’s plan in her latest Commons defeat, EU ministers said it made the current situation even more difficult.

Andrea Leadsom, the commons leader, insisted the option of leaving without a deal remained on the table, but foreign office minister Alastair Burt insisted this was not possible.

A dozen or more ministers could quit if Ms May refuses to extend the Brexit negotiating period beyond 29 March and veers towards a no-deal scenario, former attorney general Dominic Grieve said.

Margot James became the latest minister to rule out remaining in the government if that situation occurred.

The digital minister told Channel 4 News: “I could not be part of a government that allowed this country to leave the European Union without a deal.” Downing Street insisted Ms May would continue with her negotiating strategy, with ministers dismissing yesterday’s vote as no more than a “hiccup”.

Here is how we covered the day’s events: