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Tory Brexiteers have reacted with fury as a bill aimed at forcing an Article 50 extension to block a no-deal outcome was passed with a majority of just one vote.
The cross-party Cooper-Boles Brexit Bill, which was fast-tracked through Parliament in one day, was approved by MPs with 313 vote for and 312 against late on Wednesday night.
Expressing his frustration at it clearing all stages in the Commons within a matter of hours, Conservative MP Peter Bone urged Speaker John Bercow to “make this farce stop” and prevent further votes.
And Tory MP Mark Francois reacted with anger, calling it a “constitutional outrage”. The leading Brexiteer said it had been “rammed through in four hours”, and then quoting from the bible, added: “The public won’t be impressed by this. Forgive them father they know not what they do.”
Speaking after the result Yvette Cooper, who drafted the bill, said it has been a “very considered and thoughtful debate throughout”, and that MPs had “voted again to make clear the real concerns that there would be about a chaotic and damaging no deal”.
She said the Bill would “support the Prime Minister’s commitment to make sure we don’t end up with no deal on April 12”.
Ms Cooper added: “I’m sure that we will be very keen to work with Government to make sure that this legislation progresses in a way that is sensible and works in the national interest.”
A Government spokesman said that the bill would “place a severe constraint” on its ability to negotiate an extension.
In statement, he said: “We are disappointed that MPs have chosen to back this Bill.
“The Prime Minister has already set out a clear process through which we can leave the European Union with a deal and we have already committed to seeking a further extension.
“If passed, this Bill would place a severe constraint on the Government’s ability to negotiate an extension and reflect this new date in UK statute books before April 12.”
The Bill will now undergo further scrutiny in the Lords at a later date, potentially as early as Thursday.
The proposal would legally bind Theresa May into seeking a Brexit extension beyond April 12 in the absence of a deal that has been approved by Parliament.
It comes after after MPs failed in a bid to take over the Commons timetable on Monday for a third round of indicative votes on Brexit alternatives, with Speaker John Bercow wielding his casting vote after MPs split 310-310.
Meanwhile talks on a possible Brexit compromise set to continue on Thursday after an “inconclusive” meeting between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn.
The meeting sparked fury among some Conservatives, with two ministers quitting Mrs May’s government and a string of backbenchers voicing their anger during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons.
It followed Mrs May’s dramatic announcement that she was willing to reach out across the political divide to find a deal allowing her to obtain a short delay to Brexit at an emergency EU summit on April 10.
