Government compromise sees May victorious in 'meaningful vote' scrap

The new compromise will allow the speaker of the house to decide whether to allow Parliament to make decisions pertaining to the UK’s exit from the EU if no deal is successfully established.

A vote in the Commons on Wednesday afternoon saw the second defeat of the Grieve amendment after it was sent back following its failure to pass through the House of Lords on Monday.

May’s government triumphed in the earlier Commons vote due to a compromise that was later described by Pro-EU MPs as a "slap in the face".

Would-be Tory rebel MPs seem rather more receptive to today’s concession however, as Dominic Grieve’s Pro-EU camp ended up voting against his own amendment after the government’s proposed compromise, with Grieve professing himself "immensely grateful" to peers who had enabled a second vote.

He further commented that "the sovereignty of Parliament" had been acknowledged.

The amendment was defeated by a majority of 16 votes, with just four Tory rebels accompanying the 297 other MPs to vote against the government.

Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer said: "This is a disappointing result and comes after Theresa May is forced once again to try to buy off her own MPs at the eleventh hour. Labour has long argued that Parliament should have a proper role in the Brexit negotiations and a meaningful vote on the terms upon which we leave the European Union."

The government victory further delays the day when May will finally have to face off against one wing of her fractured party, with EU trade debates in July looking an increasingly likely backdrop to the showdown.

The UK is due to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019 and negotiations continue to take place over the terms of its departure.