The House of Lords has passed a plan designed to stop the next Tory PM - probably Boris Johnson - from suspending Parliament to force through a No Deal Brexit .
The Government was heavily defeated by peers after a cross-party bid to block such a move was backed by 272 to 169, majority 103, after warnings that it would amount to a "constitutional outrage".
The vote came amid fears that Boris Johnson could try to prorogue Parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit if he wins the Tory leadership contest next week.
Critics of the unusual move by the Lords, which will go back to the Commons for MPs to vote on, condemned it as a piece of "parliamentary chicanery".
It means MPs will be forced to vote on the issue tomorrow - forcing a crunch vote in the House of Commons.
Remain backing Tory MPs will be forced to choose between backing their government and their conscience in the vote.
But career conscious Conservatives might be unwilling to prompt the ire of their likely next leader before he has even taken office.
Boris Johnson has repeatedly refused to rule out suspending Parliament in order to stop MPs blocking a no-deal Brexit.
But his team have sought to play down speculation that he could prorogue Parliament in late October - effectively a temporary shutdown - ahead of a Queen's Speech in early November.
