Theresa May hit by humiliating Brexiteer revolt in Commons over block to no-deal Brexit

• Theresa May loses latest Brexit vote after rebellion by hardline Tory Brexiteers

• Crushing defeat means she no longer has support of a majority of MPs for her Brexit strategy

• Nor is there any parliamentary majority for what happens next

• Defeat is a blow to the authority of Mrs May, who will now struggle to convince the EU she can deliver any form of Brexit

• Brexiteers, led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, branded treacherous by Tory minister

• The PM must now find consensus among MPs ahead of crucial vote on February 27

Theresa May has been hit by another humiliating defeat in the Commons at the hands of Brexiteers.

Hardline Tory Eurosceptics abstained from voting on the PM’s latest Brexit motion, saying it effectively meant the Government is abandoning the option of a no-deal Brexit.

This rebellion led to a loss for Mrs May by 303 votes to 258 – with Labour branding it a “massacre”.

The Prime Minister, who didn’t even turn up for the crucial vote, was asking MPs to reiterate their support for her Brexit plan.

That approach, which was voted through by a majority of MPs in January, gave her backing to go back to Brussels and seek ‘alternative arrangements’ to the Irish backstop. On the same night, most MPs also voted in opposition to no deal.

But this previous show of solidarity with Tory Brexiteers, such as Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg, has now crumbled, leaving Mrs May exposed just weeks before Brexit is due to take place on March 29.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn demanded that the Prime Minister come to the Commons to respond before saying the vote showed there was no majority for May’s Brexit strategy. He said she could not keep ‘ignoring Parliament or ploughing on towards 29 March without a coherent plan’.

He added: “She cannot keep on just running down the clock and hoping something will turn up.”

Mr Corbyn said her strategy had failed and she needed to come to Parliament and outline how she was going act to “the catastrophe of a no-deal exit”.

On a bruising night for the PM, a Labour attempt to force the Government to hold another ‘meaningful vote’ before the end of the month was defeated by a margin of 14 votes.

Labour MP David Lammy, who supports a second referendum, called the defeat a “massacre” for the government and a “damning indictment” of her Brexit plan.

In a further sign of divisions within the Conservatives, the Business minister Richard Harrington branded hardline Tories “treacherous”, and said his colleagues should to join Nigel Farage’s new Brexit party.

However, the Prime Minister did manage to see off a challenge that would have forced her to delay Brexit as MPs voted heavily against an SNP plan to extend Article 50 for at least three months. In a setback for Jeremy Corbyn though, 41 Labour MPs defied their leader and backed the amendment, offering a further indication of the party’s own divisions.

A vote that would force Theresa May to publish its no-deal planning papers was withdrawn by Remain MP Anna Soubry, allowing the PM to swerve another pummelling.

Ms Soubry said she withdrew her amendment after receiving assurances from the Government that ‘relevant’ papers would be published.

What does this mean about the possibility of no deal?

The PM knows she need the support of the ERG to get any potential deal through the Commons so she is trying to keep them on side by not officially ruling out no deal.

However, with a clear majority in the House to block it, dozens of ministers could resign in opposition at leaving the EU without a deal.

Business leaders have previously warned about their concerns over a no-deal Brexit, adding even more pressure to Mrs May to rule it out.

But if she cannot renegotiate the terms of her existing Brexit deal with the EU, any hope of deal being voted through is seemingly dead in the water.

The PM will be hoping that she can fix the Irish backstop issue to the ERG’s liking and get a deal through but if she cannot, there is a strong possibility of a no-deal Brexit.

What happens next?

Tonight’s vote does not change much in reality, but another major defeat on Brexit is a humiliation and a blow to the authority of the Prime Minister.

It marks a setback for her efforts to convince Brussels she can command a majority of MPs’ support for any deal.

Brussels is thought to want evidence that any concessions it grants on the Irish backstop would actually ensure a deal could pass through Parliament.

With just 43 days before Britain exits the EU, time is running out for Mrs May to renegotiate the Irish backstop.

The outcome of that will likely dictate the future of the country – and possibly the fate of the PM.