Rebels defeat Theresa May in key Brexit vote in UK Parliament

British Prime Minister Theresa May today lost a key Brexit vote in the UK Parliament after a rebellion within the ranks of her own party.

The British Prime Minister was defeated on an amendment to the European Union Withdrawal Bill by four votes, in her first major House of Commons bruising this evening.

MPs from across different parties voted in favour of Parliament being given a meaningful vote on the terms of Brexit by 309 votes to 305.


Conservative party rebels had made common cause with Opposition Labour MPs on a highly contentious issue.

May had warned that such a rebellion could threaten the UK s "orderly and smooth exit" from the European Union.

Former UK attorney general Dominic Grieve, who had brought the amendment, told the Commons he intended to put the "country before his party" amid concerns over the potential for the flagship Brexit legislation to become a "very worrying tool of executive power".