Brexit vote: Boris Johnson moves to trigger snap general election after losing crunch Commons vote to rebels aiming to block no-deal

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Boris Johnson has said he will move to trigger a snap general election after suffering a crushing Commons defeat as 21 senior Tory MPs rebelled to stop him from crashing Britain out of the EU.

He lost control to a string of grandees who included two former Chancellors, Kenneth Clarke and Philip Hammond, and Winston Churchill’s grandson, Sir Nicholas Soames.

The Prime Minister lept to his feet after the bigger-than-expected defeat by 328 to 301 – a deficit of 27 votes - to announce he was putting down a motion for a snap election.

"The people of this country will have to choose,” he said.

However, his election gambit looked in danger of failing as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and other opposition MPs said they would block it unless a cross-party Bill is passed to prevent an election being used to bounce the country into a no-deal Brexit.

Defeated: Boris Johnson speaks after the announcement of the result of the vote
VIA REUTERS

The list of rebels included ex-Cabinet ministers Greg Clark, David Gauke, Rory Stewart, Oliver Letwin, Justine Greening as well as Mr Hammond and Father of the House Mr Clarke.

Tory chief whip Mark Spencer phoned rebels, including Mr Hammond, to tell them they were being stripped of the whip.

A source close to the rebel group said: “Tonight’s decisive result is the first step in a process to avert an undemocratic and damaging No Deal.

“No10 have responded by removing the whip from two former chancellors, a former lord chancellor and Winston Churchill’s grandson. What has happened to the Conservative Party?”

Earlier, Cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom appeared to extend an olive branch by suggesting they would be allowed back into the fold if they behaved in future.

Stripping so many MPs of the Conservative whip was seen as a highly risky step that could leave the Government paralysed in the Commons, echoing the civil war of the Maastricht rebellion 30 years ago.

Commons Speaker John Bercow delivers the result
SkyNews

The drama came on a day that Mr Johnson saw his official working majority disappear altogether with the defection of MP Dr Phillip Lee to the Liberal Democrats in protest at Brexit.

A crowd of anti-Brexit protesters waiting outside Parliament erupted into cheers, dancing and applause as the result of the vote came in.

Mr Johnson stood up in the chamber immediately said he will be tabling a vote on an early general election on Wednesday.

He said: "The consequences of this vote tonight means that Parliament is on the brink of wrecking any deal that we might be able to get in Brussels.

"It will hand control of the negotiations to the EU."

Jeremy Corbyn during the emergency debate on seizing control of parliamentary business 
AFP/Getty Images

He continued: "And by contrast, everyone will know that if I am Prime Minister, I will go to Brussels, I will go for a deal and I believe I will get a deal.

"And we will leave anyway, even if we don't (get a deal) we will leave anyway on October 31.

"The people of this country will have to choose.

"The leader of the opposition has been begging for an election for two years.

"He has thousands of supporters outside calling for an election. I don't want an election but if MPs vote tomorrow to stop negotiations and to compel another pointless delay to Brexit potentially for years then that would be the only way to resolve this.

"I can confirm that we are tonight tabling a motion under the Fixed Term Parliament Act."

But Mr Corbyn responded by telling the Prime Minister: "He wants to table a motion for a general election, fine.

"Get the Bill through first in order to take no deal off the table."

Mr Corbyn added: "We do not have a presidency, we have a Prime Minister who governs with the consensus of the House of Commons representing the people within whom the sovereignty rests."

Mr Johnson’s hardball tactics were being criticised by some Tories. A Downing Street spokesman said: "The Chief Whip is speaking with those Tory MPs who did not vote with the Government this evening. They will have the whip removed." But speaking to Sky, Ms Leadsom said that the MPs could keep the whip if they did not vote for the rebel Bill in rhe next showdown due tomorrow.

Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, a rebel ringleader, said that if the Prime Minister wanted a general election he needed to provide "necessary assurances that there will be a delay to Article 50".

Former Business Secretary Mr Clark tweeted: "I know the harm that an abrupt no deal Brexit would do to our country and to my constituents. Parliament must be able to prevent that harm. So I voted for the legislation tonight, fully aware of the personal consequences."

Tuesday night’s vote was on a procedural motion designed to let backbench MPs take over the Commons agenda and call the shots. On Wednesday, the cross-party group of MPs plan to stage the first vote on a Bill to outlaw a no-deal Brexit, put down by Labour’s Hilary Benn and Tory MP Alistair Burt.

The Commons debate ended in criticism of Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg for showing “disrespect” by reclining in a near-prone position on the Government front bench. Labour MP Karl Turner tweeted a photograph with a caption accusing he minister of “a sense of entitlement”. SNP MP Gavin Newlands offered to call Mr Rees-Mogg’s “footman to get him a pillow”. The minister “politely declined".

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