British Prime Minister Theresa May has been defeated in a symbolic vote in parliament on her Brexit strategy, undermining her negotiating strength in talks with the European Union to secure changes to the agreement.
MPs voted by 303 to 258 to reject a motion asking them to reaffirm support for Mrs May's plan to seek changes to her Brexit deal.
The defeat came after the pro-Brexit Tory European Research Group announced they had taken a "collective decision" to abstain.
Furious members said supporting the motion would have amounted to an endorsement of efforts to rule out a no-deal Brexit.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
The wording of the motion called on MPs to reiterate their support for the approach set out in an earlier set of votes on 29 January.
On that occasion, the Commons voted for a government-backed amendment calling on ministers to re-open negotiations with Brussels on the backstop.
However it also voted for a non-binding cross-party amendment rejecting a no-deal break with the EU.
Following the result, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn demanded Mrs May, who was absent from the chamber, come back to MPs with a "coherent plan".
He said: "Tonight's vote shows there's no majority for the Prime Minister's course of action, and yet again her government has been defeated.
"The government cannot keep on ignoring parliament or ploughing on towards 29 March without a coherent plan."
"She can't keep on just running down the clock and hoping that something will turn up that will save her day and save her face," said Mr Corbyn.
Following the vote, a Downing Street spokesman said Mrs May would continue with her strategy to secure changes to the backstop.
"Jeremy Corbyn yet again put partisan considerations ahead of the national interest - and yet again, by voting against the government's motion, he is in effect voting to make no deal more likely," the spokesman said.
"While we didn't secure the support of the Commons this evening, the prime minister continues to believe, and the debate itself indicated, that far from objecting to securing changes to the backstop that will allow us to leave with a deal, there was a concern from some Conservative colleagues about taking no deal off the table at this stage.
"The motion on January 29 remains the only one the House of Commons has passed expressing what it does want - and that is legally binding changes to address concerns about the backstop. The government will continue to pursue this with the EU to ensure we leave on time on March 29."
Read more:
Incredible UK has let Brexit come to this, says Tánaiste
Q&A: What is the Brexit 'backstop'?
S&P sees possible Brexit 'silver lining' for some Irish firms
'Border buster' legacy highlights opposition to hard border
A Labour amendment, requiring the government to stage a second "meaningful vote" on its Brexit deal by 27 February or give parliament control over the next steps, was defeated by 322 to 306.
Ahead of the votes, government ministers urged MPs to back Mrs May, arguing that defeat for the Prime Minister would undermine the UK's chances of securing concessions from Brussels on the controversial "backstop" arrangements for keeping the border on the island of Ireland open.
Mrs May’s motion asked the House to "reiterate" its support for the stance taken by MPs in the last round of Brexit votes on 29 January.
On that date, MPs voted not only to authorise the PM to go back to Brussels to renegotiate the Irish backstop, but also for a non-binding amendment to block EU withdrawal without an agreement.
Opening the day's debate, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay warned that European leaders would be watching the evening's votes for "any sign that our resolve is weakening".
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox told the BBC: "Our European partners will be watching our debate and listening today to see if they get the impression that if they were to make ... concessions, Parliament would definitely deliver on that."
Also up for a vote was a Scottish National Party proposal to delay Brexit for three months beyond the scheduled date of 29 March.
Pro-EU Conservative Anna Soubry indicated she would not force a vote on her cross-party amendment, which would have required the Government to publish its latest advice on the economic impact of a no-deal Brexit.
Ms Soubry was offered a meeting with the effective deputy prime minister David Lidington to discuss which documents could be released.
Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer told MPs that "deep down" he did not believe Mrs May was ready to take the UK out of Europe without a deal on 29 March.
He maintained she was taking the Brexit debate to the wire in order to be able to confront MPs with a last-minute choice between her deal or no-deal.
He confirmed that Labour will back a cross-party plan from backbencher Yvette Cooper - expected to go to a vote on 27 February - which would force the government to conclude its deal by 13 March or allow MPs to vote on no-deal or a second referendum.
"It is obvious what the Prime Minister is up to - she is pretending to make progress while running down the clock," said Mr Starmer.
"A non-update every other week to buy another two weeks of process, inching ever closer to the March 29 deadline in 43 days. We should not be fooled."
The latest showdown comes as European Council president Donald Tusk expressed frustration at a lack of progress in London.
He said the EU27 is "still waiting for concrete, realistic proposals from London".
No news is not always good news. EU27 still waiting for concrete, realistic proposals from London on how to break #Brexit impasse. pic.twitter.com/8vcDlAJeAn
— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) February 13, 2019
Dutch PM Mark Rutte told the Financial Times the Netherlands is already benefiting from businesses relocating from a "diminished" Britain.
In a bid to keep lines open with EU leaders, Mrs May spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis yesterday evening.
