Daniel Zeichner, MP for Cambridge, has reacted to this evening’s crushing House of Commons defeat of the Government’s plan to leave the European Union, reflecting that it “shows that the Government’s plans have been comprehensively defeated and are now in tatters.” Mr Zeichner comments that “with the clock ticking towards a disastrous No Deal exit, crashing out, the only responsible course is to revoke Article 50.”

The Prime Minister’s proposal was defeated by 230 votes, with only 202 MPs voting for it while 432 voted against, including 118 of her own Conservative MPs.

Mr Zeichner comments: “In 2017, Theresa May asked the public to give her a strong mandate in the General Election to implement the 2016 referendum result. She lost her majority. Her proposal has been comprehensively rejected by Parliament, and it is unpopular with the public. So we are now left with some difficult choices – go back to the EU, who have been clear that no substantial changes are possible, leave with no deal, which is widely considered dangerous and irresponsible, or remain in the EU.“

“I believe that it’s now time to revoke Article 50, as advocated by ex-Prime Minister Sir John Major over the weekend – since 2016 we have all learnt a lot more about the complexity of our relationship with our European neighbours and the full consequences of leaving. The 48% who voted to remain in the EU voted for something clear and achievable; unfortunately the leave campaign was much less clear, and people voted for many different things. Revoking Article 50 now not only stops the continuing uncertainty, it also allows space for those proposing a different relationship with the EU to develop more realistic options.“