Theresa May’s Brexit deal has been voted down in the House of Commons for a second time.
Though it was a smaller majority – 149 votes instead of the 230-vote defeat she suffered in January – it was still a firm rejection from MPs, and leads us to ask: What happens now?
Parliament will now vote on whether the UK should leave the European Union without a deal.
The motion states the Commons “declines to approve leaving the European Union without a withdrawal agreement” on 29 March, but with the caveat that “leaving without a deal remains the default”.
If that is voted down then there will then be a vote on Thursday, posing the question of whether to ask for an extension to Article 50.
Could we be heading for a no-deal Brexit? Could there be a second referendum? The Independent’s chief political commentator John Rentoul looks at the options.
