Vince Cable and Tim Farron criticised for missing crucial Brexit debate after Government won by just three votes

Vince Cable and Tim Farron, two of the most senior members of the Liberal Democrats, have been criticised for missing a crucial Brexit vote. 

The two men were not present in parliament for the vote on a raft of amendments tabled by the pro-Brexit European Research Group which the Government only won by three votes. 

Mr Farron was giving a talk in Dorset on his Christian values and his beliefs on gay sex, while Mr Cable - the party leader - had an "important meeting" off the Parliamentary estate. 

Furious anti-Brexit MPs criticised the pair after the Government only won by a vote of 305 to 302 in favour of making it illegal for the UK to collect taxes on behalf of the EU unless Europe did the same. 

Labour MP Stephen Kinnock tweeted: “Tim Farron and Vince Cable (those doughty, fearless crusaders against a hard Brexit) didn’t vote”.

While another Labour MP Stephen Doughty added his frustration at Mr Farron tweeting his fury at the Government while not being present in the chamber, adding: "Yet you were happy to tweet this as you absented yourself from a crucial #Brexit vote tonight. So where were you tonight @timfarron ? Surely not here...????"

A Liberal Democrat source said Mr Cable had an important meeting off the parliamentary estate which had been approved by the whips because Labour had been expected to abstain on the amendments. 

They added that by the time it became clear that the vote would be close there was not enough time for Mr Cable to get back to Westminster to vote. 

The source would not give further details on the meeting Mr Cable attended. 

Mr Farron, the previous party leader, tweeted: "I was authorised to be absent due to a pre-arranged engagement away from the Parliamentary estate. 

“In the end nobody expected the vote to be as close as it was – I’d actually cancelled the engagement earlier on, but then uncancelled because we expected Labour to abstain and the Government to win by miles. 

“We clearly called it wrong, as did Labour. I take full responsibility for my part. The Tories don’t deserve any luck, I’m so sorry I inadvertently granted them some.”

But a Liberal Democrat source added that party insiders had been left "furious" by the failure, adding that the party's core mission is to oppose Brexit and to be away from Parliament during such crucial votes was "incomprehensible".