MPs condemn prime minister's Brexit deal after massive defeat in Parliament

MPs from the borough have given withering verdicts on prime minister Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement following humiliation in the Commons.
PM Theresa May in the House of Commons on TuesdayPM Theresa May in the House of Commons on Tuesday
PM Theresa May in the House of Commons on Tuesday

Parliamentarians described the current situation as "chaos" and "disastrous" and it was vital to work quickly to find a way forward after one of the biggest Commons defeats for a British leader in modern history.

Other news: Borough mum's anger at baby jabs chaosBoth Labour and Conservative MPs with constituencies wholly or partly in the borough have been critical of the agreement, though for different reasons.

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Labour MPs heavily blamed Mrs May and the Conservative party for the way two years of Brexit negotiations have been handled.

Yvonne Fovargue, MP for Makerfield, said: "This was a disastrous defeat for the Prime Minister and her withdrawal agreement. It is incumbent on all MPs to now find a way to secure a deal that can command support in Parliament and which respects the 2016 referendum result.”

Leigh MP Jo Platt said: "The vote last night which saw the government suffer the largest defeat of any in our history, laid bare the failure of the prime minister to deliver a deal for leaving the EU.

"Having excluded parliament from any of the negotiations and failing to acknowledge the overwhelming dissatisfaction in her handling of the issue – she now has plunged the country into more chaos and more uncertainty at a time when people are demanding clarity and certainty for the future.

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"Time is now running out to deliver a deal that works for the people. Make no mistake, in 2016 people from all parties and those with none decided to leave the EU but it is this Tory government that has failed them."

Conservative MP for Bolton West Chris Green, on the other hand, once again gave his backing to Britain putting more distance between itself and the EU's institutions and structures and criticised those opposing that.

Mr Green, whose constituency includes Atherton, said: "Parliament has defeated the Government’s EU withdrawal proposal and it was a huge defeat.

"However, we cannot allow parliamentarians to use this as an opportunity to stop Brexit from happening.

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“In 2016, the British people voted decisively to leave the EU yet there are already manoeuvres being made today to try to and stop that democratic decision from being delivered.

“I am determined to stop this from happening, so that my constituents get the clean break from the EU that they voted for.”

The difficulty for the Government showed no sign of abating as it faced a no-confidence vote on Wednesday evening.