Tory MPs voiced their anger last night as Boris Johnson confirmed he is dropping his Brexit deal from the Commons in order to rush into an election.
The Prime Minister's allies said they will not bring back his Withdrawal Agreement Bill until after a snap poll in December - when it'll have to start from scratch.
Dropping the Bill, which had concerns over workers' rights and a border in the Irish Sea, was the biggest condition for the Lib Dems to back an election tonight.
But Mr Johnson's decision to dump it prompted fury from Tory MPs - who pointed out it has already passed its first hurdle and is the best route to leaving with a deal.
Their objections raise the risk that they could rebel against the government in
Tory MP Simon Hoare fumed: "What are we to say to constituents about the fact we may be able to find time for a five to six-week general election campaign and then the rigmarole of forming a Government - and yet not for bringing back the withdrawal Bill?"
Tory MP Damian Green added: "The sensible course of action - which, frankly, voters on all sides would expect of us - is to [debate and pass the Brexit deal Bill]."
And Tory Alex Chalk said: "Surely the proportionate and sensible thing is to offer the House more time.
"If it does not vote for it, the Government will take their course, but surely they should at least try."
Boris Johnson dropped his Bill like a stone after MPs decided he shouldn't be allowed to railroad it through the Commons in three days.
After the EU delayed Brexit to January 31, he could have brought it back to Parliament and given MPs time to debate it.
But instead, Security Minister Brandon Lewis said today: "We’re not going to bring back the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. There’s no question of that."
Ex-Chancellor Philip Hammond - who was booted out of the Tories - raged at the decision to drop the Bill in favour of an election.
He said: "The idea that now we would use our precious time to halt all of this process for five or six weeks and go out and have a general election frankly appals me.
"I think the Government is trying to create a narrative that Parliament is blocking Brexit and therefore we need an election. But that is simply untrue."
The Bill is the legal mechanism to put Boris Johnson's Brexit deal, agreed between the EU and the UK, into British law.
But MPs were likely to amend it out of shape because of several problems - including a "trapdoor" to no-deal Brexit if there's still no agreement on a trade deal by December 2020.
So instead MPs will vote tonight on a short law to have an election in December 2019 after six hours of debate.
Labour called on the government to rule out a no-deal Brexit before Jeremy Corbyn could back a general election.
But Mr Lewis told the BBC: "No deal is not just in the gift of the British government, it’s between us and the EU."
Will an election kill off the Brexit deal?
The deal is still active and agreed with the EU.
But the Bill that puts it into law (which passed an initial vote last week) will be parked until after an election, when it'd have to be brought back from scratch.
It'll be easy to bring back and pass if Boris Johnson wins a majority, and if he doesn't get a majority it's a different story. So the PM is gambling it all on winning the house.
