Theresa May has been accused of showing contempt for Parliament as opposition leaders joined forces condemn her sudden cancellation of a vote on her Brexit deal.
In a highly unusual move, leaders sent a joint letter to the Prime Minister criticising her decision to call off the vote in the face of a “heavy defeat” in the Commons.
Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn, Liberal Democrat’s Sir Vince Cable, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, Plaid Cymru's Liz Saville Roberts and Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas signed the letter.
"We believe that this deferral shows a contempt for Parliament,” the letter read. "You admitted in the House that you are running from a heavy defeat on your deal in the House of Commons.
"It cannot be right that the Government can unilaterally alter the arrangements, once this House has agreed on a timetable, without the House being given the opportunity to express its will."
The letter demands assurances from the Prime Minister on what happens next, whether her Brexit deal will be revised and if substantial changes would be made to it. The leaders added that the Commons should be given sufficient time to debate the Government's negotiating objectives.
They urged the PM to allow the Commons to vote on her move to defer the Brexit deal vote, and they want to know when a "meaningful vote" on a Brexit deal will be held.
The Government was last week found by MPs to be in contempt of Parliament for not publishing the full Brexit legal advice. Ministers have since made the advice public.
It comes as Mrs May was set to hold crisis Brexit talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a bid to gain reassurances on her exit deal.
The move also follows a day of high drama at Westminster which saw the Prime Minister cancel a crucial vote on the plans.
Mrs May is set to meet Mrs Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague on Tuesday ahead of a crunch EU summit later this week.
She was forced to abandon the Commons vote as the scale of opposition to her proposals threatened a crushing defeat.
Downing Street was unable to give any indication of when the vote will now be held. It said the date would depend on how quickly Mrs May is able to secure the assurances which will satisfy MPs.
