The government has defeated two amendments to the EU withdrawal bill that would have forced the government to prioritise single market access in the final Brexit deal.
The Lords amendment – which backed full EEA membership – was defeated by a clear majority of 201 votes. In the end 90 Labour MPs defied party instructions to abstain, with 75 voting for EEA membership and 15 voting against.
The government’s victory came just a day after Theresa May offered Tory rebels significant concessions in order to hold off defeat on the key ‘meaningful vote’ amendment. In the end only two Conservative MPs voted against the government.
The bill could be back in the Commons as soon as next week, with rebels saying they could back fresh amendments if May does not stick by assurances on the EU withdrawal bill.
Full data from data.parliament.uk as of 9pm on 13 June
