Yahoo News Brexit vote news: Tory rebel MPs who had whip withdrawn among those who backed Letwin amendment
Several Conservative MPs who had the whip withdrawn after rebelling over Brexit were among those who today backed the Letwin amendment in a major blow to Boris Johnson.
Former Chancellors Philip Hammond and Ken Clarke, who were among the 21 Tory MPs who had the whip removed after supporting efforts to block a no-deal, went into the aye lobby in opposition to the government.
Dominic Grieve, the former Attorney General, and former Lord Chancellor David Gauke also approved the Letwin amendment.
Former Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who chose to leave the Conservative benches of her own volition, also backed the move.
Some of the 21 did support the government, including Sir Nicholas Soames, who is Sir Winston Churchill’s grandson. Former International Development Secretary Rory Stewart, who is vying to become London Mayor, also voted against the amendment.
Sam Gyimah, who has since joined the Liberal Democrats, voted with the rest of his new party to pass the amendment.
The group of 21 politicians had the whip removed last month after they voted to allow the Commons to take over the order paper, giving time to pass legislation that would prevent a no deal Brexit.
Two current Conservative MPs - Sir Edward Leigh and Dame Caroline Spelman - abstained from the vote.
I agreed that we should pass the amendment as an insurance against leaving without a deal until the PMs legislation is through.
It’s disappointing that the Government withdrew the opportunity to show support for the new deal with a vote which, I believe, would have won.— Amber Rudd MP (@AmberRuddHR)
Mr Johnson also lost the support of the Democratic Unionist Party’s 10 MPs who had propped up Theresa May's majority.
Of the rest of the expelled 21, Guto Bebb, Justine Greening, Sir Oliver Letwin - who tabled the successful amendment - and Antoinette Sandbach all voted against the government.
And those from the group who supported Mr Johnson were Caroline Nokes, Richard Harrington, Margot James Richard Benyon, Alistair Burt, Greg Clark and Steve Brine.
The last of the cohort, Anne Milton, abstained.
Six Labour MPs - Sir Kevin Barron, Ronnie Campbell, Jim Fitzpatrick, Caroline Flint, Kate Hoey and John Mann - all voted against their party whips and against the amendment.
Jared O’Mara, the independent MP for Sheffield Hallam who missed many of the important votes on Brexit, voted in favour of the amendment.
