Theresa May has suffered another humiliating defeat in the Commons after MPs dramatically wrested control of the Brexit process from the government.
Pro-EU Tory ministers Steve Brine, Alistair Burt and Richard Harrington resigned from their posts to back a cross-party bid to hold indicative votes on Wednesday, allowing the Commons to test support for different Brexit options.
Some 30 Conservative MPs rebelled against the government to support the amendment tabled by Tory MP Sir Oliver Letwin, potentially paving the way for a softer Brexit deal that keeps the UK closer to Brussels.
It comes after the prime minister admitted there was "still not sufficient support" to bring her Brexit deal back to the Commons for a third "meaningful vote". MPs have overwhelmingly rejected her plan twice already.
Sir Oliver acknowledged that any votes would be advisory rather than binding on the Government and it may take several rounds of voting before a majority is found for any of the options - if one can be found at all.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today:
"[Theresa May] hasn't been able to get a majority and we don't know what she could get a majority for, so once we find that out there is a way forward, in principle, and then the next thing would be for the Prime Minister to take that forward and for the Government to implement it.

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Theresa May has summoned her cabinet for an emergency meeting at 10am this morning, where she is expected to set out plans to give MPs a series of "indicative votes" on how to proceed if they refuse to approve her Brexit deal.
No10 will put forward its own proposal in a bid to stop the Commons passing a backbench amendment that would pave they way for parliament to seize control and hold its own indicative votes on Wednesday.
Cabinet ministers have been invited to view new documents at 9am. These are rumoured to be the options that MPs will be asked to vote on, as well as new concessions on the backstop that are designed to win over the DUP's support.
Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson took part in the march of hundreds of thousands of people calling for a referendum at the weekend.
But Lady Chakrabarti told BBC Radio 4's Today:
It has never been our preference but since last autumn it has been one of a menu of options for breaking the deadlock.
And if that's what it takes to break a deadlock in Parliament then so be it.
I have no doubt that it will be one of a menu of options that MPs ought to be able to discuss and vote on this week."
Asked about party leader Jeremy Corbyn's views, she said his job was to "desperately try to bring people together" from both sides of the Brexit divide.
Asked if Labour MPs would be given a free vote on the Brexit options, she said "we have to find a way to allow people to coalesce" but "we also are a democratic party and there was a conference motion last autumn and before that there was a general election manifesto" setting out party policy.
Writing in The Times Red Box, Ms Perrior said:
Maybe it's time to stop finding scapegoats and admit that Theresa May and her lack of leadership has made a bad situation worse.
With great sadness, it's time for her to swap her departure date in return for the deal. It's the least she can do.
"What I was finding from real voters was people spontaneously saying 'I don't understand how Theresa May puts up with the pressure, she is a great public servant, her resilience is amazing'," Dr Fox told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"There seems to me to be a bigger disconnect now between Westminster and what is happening out in the country than ever before."
He said Tory Eurosceptics had to accept that MPs would block a no-deal Brexit.
"For a lot of my colleagues, I think they still believe there is a route to no deal. I have come to the conclusion some time ago that was unlikely given the House of Commons that we have.
"I think we will see today that there is a mood in the House of Commons to stop us leaving without a deal, even if that means no Brexit. I think that is a constitutionally disastrous position."

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Analysis: The immediate costs of various different Brexit outcomes are only slightly easier to predict than the longer-term consequences, as Sean O’Grady explains"I'm not sure that there are many people in the House of Commons who would fancy that particular meeting with voters," he told Today.
"It would unleash a torrent of pent-up frustration from voters and I think that the major parties will do what they can to avoid having to fight those European elections.
"There is nothing in politics like a little bit of self-interest to concentrate the minds, and I think, as we get towards that date, increasingly my colleagues will have to decide which of the limited options they want to follow."
Each board is emblazoned with a quote from a politician or public figure, taken from past speeches, interviews and social media.

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Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns also arrived, followed shortly afterwards by Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd.

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