The Spectator

Parliamentarians were given the opportunity today to take control of the negotiations, after holding indicative votes on their preferred Brexit strategy. Now, the results are in, and we have found out that they don't support any option at all. For Oliver Letwin's vote, each MP was presented with eight Brexit motions, selected by the Speaker earlier today, on a piece of green voting paper. Inside the division lobby, they could either vote for, against, or abstain on each position, with no limit on the number they could support. Below are the number of votes for each option.

For many people, next Friday was supposed to be a celebration. Boris Johnson spoke about an ‘independence day’ marking the beginning of a new era of national self-confidence. But as we approach 29 March, not even ardent Brexiteers can claim that there is anything to celebrate. Theresa May has been reduced to asking, or rather begging, the EU for an extension to Article 50 — something that the EU has said it will grant only if Britain can provide a good reason for needing the extra time. So far, the Prime Minister has not provided one, apart from the prolonging of every-one’s agony. When parliament voted to enact Article 50 two years ago, the challenge seemed daunting but perfectly possible.

Speaker Bercow may have thrown a grenade in the works with his surprise decision to block a vote on May's deal, but now the PM has returned from Brussels with an extension, a third meaningful vote looks set to go ahead next week. Before the vote, Coffee House is keeping track of the Tory MPs May needs to win over to pass her deal. Here, we will monitor the opposition MPs she will need to persuade as well. For every rebel within her own party, May will need a similar number of these opposition votes. Below are the Labour and independent MPs who have said they will support the deal, and those Number 10 are hoping to win round. Many are in seats which heavily voted Leave in the 2016 referendum, or have indicated that they might back the withdrawal agreement.

In all the madness of the Brexit voting, it's easy to forget that Philip Hammond revealed a mini-Budget this week. Even the Chancellor started his speech by promising not to talk for long, so MPs could discuss the no-deal Brexit which he has so lamentably failed to prepare for. Ever since the referendum result, he has been expecting economic gloom. It has refused to follow: the figures in his statement seemed to mock his general pessimism. Disaster has struck Westminster though. Theresa May has lost control of her party and her government and yet her opponent, Jeremy Corbyn, is so weak that he strikes most voters as an even worse option. It’s hard to think of a time when our politics looked more dismal.

Theresa May has just been dealt another blow after the House of Commons voted decisively against a no-deal Brexit. MPs voted by 321 to 308 for a motion which rejects the UK leaving the EU without a deal, under any circumstances. The motion did not force the government to either revoke Article 50 or to request an extension, and so the UK will still leave without a deal on 29 March, until other arrangements are put in place.