- Fourteen of Mr Corbyn's MPs voted against a plan to delay Brexit past March
- The only vote he won was a non-binding expression of will to avoid no-deal exit
- After last night's votes Mr Corbyn finally agreed to meet Mrs May at Number 10 Jeremy Corbyn suffered a double humiliation last night as MPs roundly rejected his plans to delay Brexit – and he finally had to agree to talks with the Prime Minister.
Fourteen of the Labour leader's own MPs voted against a proposal – which he had backed just hours earlier – to keep Britain in the EU beyond March 29 if no deal is agreed by the end of the month.
It was one of a string of defeats, with the only vote Mr Corbyn's side winning being a non-binding expression of will that the UK should not leave without a deal.
And just two weeks after rejecting Theresa May's invitation to discuss the way forward for Brexit, he performed a U-turn and agreed to see her in Downing Street.
Jeremy Corbyn finally agreed to Brexit talks with Theresa May tonight after the Prime Minister navigated a minefield of seven votes on Plan B
Mr Corbyn told MPs: 'Now that the House has voted emphatically to reject the No Deal option the Prime Minister was supporting could I say we are now prepared to meet her to put forward the points of view from the Labour Party of the kind of deal we want from the European Union. To protect jobs, to protect living standards and to protect rights and conditions in this country.'
Amid remarkable scenes, the Labour leader lost a series of amendments thanks to a string of rebellions by backbenchers, many of them in Leave seats.
It meant the Commons voted 321 to 298 against the main proposal, tabled by senior Labour MP Yvette Cooper, which would have seen the UK staying in the EU beyond March 29.
Mr Corbyn had confirmed at lunchtime that his party would be supporting a delay of three months, saying it was important to avoid a No Deal Brexit and ensure there was time for renegotiation. But 14 Labour MPs rebelled, giving the Government a majority of 23 against the extension of Article 50.
They included serial Corbyn opponents such as John Mann and Ian Austin along with hard-Left supporters of the leader, such as Dennis Skinner. And not enough rebel Tory MPs – just 17 – voted with former Conservative minister Nick Boles, who had also advocated the delay.
Miss Cooper's plan would have allowed MPs to call for a delay to Article 50 if no deal had been approved by February 26.
But Mrs May said the amendment was 'deeply misguided' and warned of the constitutional dangers of seeking to 'usurp' the Government.
Labour had been cautious about officially throwing its weight behind the plan, with the party's leadership nervous about alienating Leave-supporting voters in some of its heartlands.
Pro-Brexit former Cabinet minister Dominic Raab also attacked the amendment, saying it would lead to 'understandable fears that actually it is a ruse to reverse or frustrate Brexit'.
Miss Cooper said: 'I am really worried that the delay and the drift and the chasing of unicorns mean we could now end up with No Deal by accident.'
Unless the Prime Minister changes direction and changes approach, she said: 'I fear we will reach the brink.'
Her amendment, she said, would 'make sure there is a safety net to prevent No Deal on March 29'.
In another vote, MPs ordered Theresa May not to lead the country towards a No Deal Brexit.
They backed a cross-party amendment, championed by Tory Dame Caroline Spelman, which rejects the UK leaving the EU without a Withdrawal Agreement by 318 votes to 310. However, the motion was not binding.
Jeremy Corbyn finally agreed to Brexit talks with Theresa May tonight after the Prime Minister navigated a minefield of seven votes on Plan B
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