Labour scores Brexit victory as UK government gives MPs final vote on EU deal

Theresa May has avoided a Conservative rebellion and handed Labour a victory by offering Parliament a vote on the UK's final Brexit deal on Tuesday (7 February).

The government concession came as MPs debated the third reading of the Article 50 bill in the House of Commons for the second day, with a final vote scheduled for Wednesday evening.

Former shadow minister Chris Leslie had tabled an amendment to the draft legislation calling for the prime minister to give MPs and peers a say, with pro-EU Conservative MPs such as Anna Soubry expected to vote alongside Labour.

But Brexit minister David Jones announced the climbdown after being pressed by Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer on the issue.

"I can confirm that the government will bring forward a motion on the final agreement to be agreed by both Houses of Parliament before it's concluded and we expect and intend that this will happen before the European Parliament debates and votes on the final agreement," he told the Commons.

The statement comes after May urged MPs not to "obstruct" the will of the British people by voting down the Article 50 bill.

"The message is clear to all: This House has spoken and now is not the time to obstruct the democratically expressed wishes of the British people," she said on Monday.

"It is time to get on with leaving the European Union and building an independent, self-governing, global Britain."

MPs overwhelmingly backed the draft legislation needed to trigger Brexit talks by 498 votes to 114 after its second reading in the Commons.

Labour's shadow cabinet decided on Tuesday morning that it would impose a three-line whip on its MPs to back the bill.

Jeremy Corbyn has tabled numerous amendments to the draft legislation, including a call for an anti-tax haven concession from the government.

But the Labour leader could face another rebellion after a string of MPs, including former shadow Welsh secretary Jo Stevens, quits his frontbench over the Article 50 vote.

The government is hoping to pass the draft law through parliament by 7 March so that May can trigger Brexit talks on 9 March.

"This concession from the government could still put MPs in an invidious position, faced with a choice between a bad deal and no deal at all," said Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrats' EU spokesman.

"It is not good enough for the government to offer parliament a hard Brexit or an even harder Brexit.

"For any final vote amongst MPs to be meaningful, parliament must be granted the power to send the government back to the negotiating table if the deal they put forward is not good enough."