The EU has hinted that Brexit should be cancelled after Theresa May’s deal was voted down in the biggest defeat suffered by a Prime Minister in over 100 years.
EU Council President Donald Tusk suggested if MPs cannot agree a deal and don’t want to crash out without one, they should consider reversing the historic vote.
While EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned that ‘time is almost up’ as he announced no deal planning will be ramped up in the wake of the defeat.
He made a dash back to Brussels for emergency Brexit meetings as the deal was voted down by 432 votes to 202 – meaning a staggering 230 MPs voted against her.
Mr Tusk said: ‘If a deal is impossible, and no one wants no deal, then who will finally have the courage to say what the only positive solution is?’
Mr Juncker said last night: ‘The risk of a disorderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom has increased with this evening’s vote.
‘While we do not want this to happen, the European Commission will continue its contingency work to help ensure the EU is fully prepared.
‘I urge the United Kingdom to clarify its intentions as soon as possible. Time is almost up.’
EU Council President Donald Tusk (pictured left) has hinted that Brexit should be cancelled after Theresa May’s deal was voted down in the biggest defeat suffered by a Prime Minister in over 100 years. The defeat is expected to mean a fresh round of talks between the EU’s Michel Barnier (pictured right) and No10
Jean-Claude Juncker (pictured in Strasbourg yesterday) made a dash back to Brussels for emergency Brexit meetings amid expectations Theresa May would suffer a devastating defeat last night
EU Council President Donald Tusk called for ‘courage’ from British politicians in coming up with a Brexit plan
While Guy Verhoftstadt, the European Parliament’s Brexit chief, accused British of MPs of not nowing what they want.
He tweeted: ‘The UK Parliament has said what it doesn’t want. Now is the time to find out what UK parliamentarians want.
‘In the meantime, the rights of citizens must be safeguarded.’
The PM’s official spokesman said there are ‘no plans’ for her to meet with Mr Juncker today.
But she is under huge pressure from all sides to head back to the negotiating table in Brussels to tear up the hated Irish backstop.
MEPs in the European Parliament will debate the state of the Brexit deal this morning.
It comes as Germany promised to launch a fresh round of Brexit talks.
How did your MP vote? 202 voted For and 432 Against in a historic – and devastating – Commons defeat for the Prime Minister
Germany’s foreign minister Heiko Maas (pictured in Berlin last week) said Brexit talks will start back up if the Withdrawal Agreement is voted down
A clearly shaken Mrs May complained that while the House had clearly rejected her plan, it did not appear to have a collective view on what else should be done
Germany’s foreign minister Heiko Maas yesterday said talks will start back up.
But in a blow to No10 he downplayed hopes of a major overhaul to the deal – saying he does not think ‘substantial’ changes will be to the deal.
In a dramatic day in Parliament which will go down in the history books, over 118 Tory MPs defied their leader to join Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP and the DUP in voting her deal down.
And Jeremy Corbyn seized on the defeat to announce he is pushing a vote of no confidence in the PM tonight.
If Mrs May loses then she could be ousted from No10 and another general election could be called.
But despite the humiliation, Mrs May vowed to fight on to try to stay as leader and get a Brexit deal through the deeply divided Parliament.
Rising to her feet moments after the drubbing, a clearly shaken Mrs May said the government will ‘listen’ and announced she would fight a no-confidence vote tonight.
But she threw down the gauntlet to her MP critics to come up with an alternate plan to deliver Brexit.
She said yesterday: ‘It is clear that the House does not support this deal. But tonight’s vote tells us nothing about what it does support.
‘Nothing about how – or even if – it intends to honour the decision the British people took in a referendum Parliament decided to hold,’ she said.
‘People, particularly EU citizens who have made their home here and UK citizens living in the EU, deserve clarity on these questions as soon as possible. Those whose jobs rely on our trade with the EU need that clarity.’
Remainers and Brexiteers were jubilant about the rout, with Boris Johnson saying the size was even larger than he had expected.
Scottish First minister Nicola Sturgeon hailed the setback for the government, while the Lib Dems said it was the ‘beginning of the end of Brexit’.
Downing Street sources said in the wake of the devastating result, which threatens to plunge the Brexit process further into chaos, it would be reaching out to ‘senior Parliamentarians’ in a bid to find a way forward.
How the Commons will vote: Theresa May’s deal was expected to lose heavily last night, which could lead to a no-confidence motion and potentially a general election
The pound rose sharply against the US dollar and euro, as markets seemingly concluded that the UK’s departure from the EU had become less likely to happen.
The shattering blow for the PM came despite her making a final plea for critics to think again, insisting her deal was the only realistic option on the table.
After hours of desperate arm-twisting, she begged MPs to recognise it was the ‘most important’ vote they would cast in their careers, and every member would have to ‘justify and live with’ their actions.
But hordes of Tories – including the chair of the powerful 1922 committee Graham Brady – still trooped through the No division lobbies with Opposition MPs.
At least two ministerial aides, Tom Pursglove and Eddie Hughes, resigned to go against Mrs May.
Fears had been growing during the day that the government was on track for catastrophe, but senior sources had still seemed hopeful they could keep the margin below than 200 votes.