Theresa May has crushed the Remain resistance to Brexit in the Commons, successfully defeating every amendment to her historic Article 50 bill.

Brexit moved a step closer tonight as new laws enshrining the Prime Minister's powers to launch the two year Brexit process were passed to the Lords.

Mrs May saw off a potential rebellion on the rights of EU nationals after Brexit, defeating a dangerous amendment 332 to 290 with a promise any changes to their citizenship in future will be subject to a separate vote.

After a marathon series of nine separate Commons votes, the legislation was granted a third reading by a landslide, agreed by MPs 494 to 122, majority 372.

Most Labour MPs backed the legislation - including shadow home secretary Diane Abbott who backed the Bill despite disappearing with a migraine last week.

But Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron vowed the party's peers would seek to amend the Bill in the Lords.

The Government passed Brexit legislation by a landslide tonight, easily seeing off a rearguard action by Remain rebels who wanted to constrain the negotiations. The third reading result was read out by Government whip Jackie Doyle Price, pictured

Prime Minister Theresa May (right) and British Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (Brexit Minister) David Davis (left) shout 'aye' in the House of Commons in favour of a third reading of the EU Notification of Withdrawl Bill

After a marathon series of nine separate Commons votes, the legislation was granted a third reading by a landslide, agreed by MPs 494 to 122, majority 372

Theresa May, pictured at PMQs today, was successful in forcing the legislation through the Commons un-amended and she will now be hoping for a smooth ride through the Lords

Clive Lewis resigned as shadow business secretary to vote against the bill, defying a three line whip from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Passing the Article 50 laws to peers without a single amendment is likely to discourage the Lords from disrupting the plans, which are due to be law around March 7.

Mr Farron hopes to ensure a referendum on the final Brexit deal.

He said: 'Over the next few weeks, Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords will seek to make changes to the Government's plans,' he said.

'Our goal will be to protect Britain's membership of the single market, protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK and to give the people the final say on Theresa May's deal.'

But Government sources warned the Lords faced 'abolition' if it stood in the way of Brexit.

A source said: 'The Lords will face an overwhelming public call to be abolished if they now try and frustrate this bill - they must get on and deliver the will of the British people.'

Labour's Diane Abbott said: 'The Shadow Cabinet agreed this week that we would vote for triggering Article 50 and obbviously I did that.

'I think the Tory Brexit is going to be quite disastrous. I don't believe we've given them a blank cheque. We are going to be holding them to account.'

British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves the Houses of Parliament in a car after the vote

Most Labour MPs backed the legislation - including shadow home secretary Diane Abbott who backed the Bill despite disappearing with a migraine last week

A total of 52 MPs rebelled against Mr Corbyn's orders and voted against triggering Article 50, up from the 47 who opposed the legislation at second reading last week.

Former chancellor Ken Clarke was again the only Conservative to vote against the Bill.

The simple two clause Bill was passed without any changes after around 40 hours of debate in the Commons.

Mrs Rudd insisted the government was 'committed' to striking a deal ensuring reciprocal rights after we cut ties with Brussels.

'I'd also like to reassure colleagues that parliament will have a clear opportunity to debate and vote on this issue in the future,' she wrote.

The commitment is evidence that minister are not yet certain they can emerge victorious in the latest spat over the Brexit Bill.

An amendment tabled to the historic legislation authorising Article 50 calls for the government to say now that people will be allowed to stay.

The change will be the focal point for Tory rebels, Labour, the SNP and Liberal Democrats who have been looking to restrict the Prime Minister's negotiating stance.

This is the text of the Bill at the heart of the 'hand to hand combat' in parliament - sparked by the Supreme Court's ruling that Theresa May cannot use executive powers to invoke Brexit

But it could also attract support from Eurosceptics who have made clear they do not want to punish EU nationals already in this country.

Theresa May earlier promised to 'prioritise' a deal on residency rights and said she wanted to seal it as early as possible in the looming talks.

However, she insists it is not possible to fix the position earlier as Germany and other states in the bloc want it dealt with in the wider negotiations.

Ministers won a series of votes tonight as the marathon committee stage drew to a close.

Just 33 MPs backed a Liberal Democrat call for a second referendum while the Government majority was around 40 in all other divisions.

Ministers clarified that the final Brexit package will be put to the Commons before it is ratified by the European Parliament.

Despite seven Remain-supporting Tory MPs favouring the change, the Prime Minister won a clear majority of 33 in favour of her plans to keep the final Commons showdown a 'take it or leave it' vote.

Jeremy Corbyn is facing a tricky time tonight with the prospect of MPs defying his order to vote in favour of the Bill at third reading

Despite seven Remain-supporting Tory MPs rebelling against the Government, the Prime Minister won a clear majority of 33 in favour of her plans to keep the final Commons showdown a 'take it or leave it' vote

As well as Mr Clarke and Ms Soubry, the other five Tory rebels tonight were: Heidi Allen, Bob Neill, Claire Perry, Antoinette Sandbach and Andrew Tyrie.

Minutes before rebelling against the Government, Ms Perry, a former rail minister, branded her hardline Brexit-supporting MPs as 'jihadis'.

THE SEVEN TORY REBELS Seven Tory MPs rebelled against the Government last night and today and voted in favour of Labour MP Chris Leslie's amendment that demanded Parliament be given a vote on Theresa May's final Brexit deal. They were: Ken Clarke, former chancellor and MP for Rushcliffe. Bob Neill, chairman of the Justice Select Committee and MP for Bromley and Chislehurst. Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the Treasury Select Committee and MP for Chichester. Claire Perry, former rail minister and MP for Devizes. Anna Soubry, former business minister and MP for Broxtowe. Antoinette Sandbach, MP for Eddisbury Heidi Allen, MP for South Cambridgeshire. There were also several Tory abstentions, including former Chancellor George Osborne. He broke the three-line whip to deliver a speech on Brexit in Antwerp, Belgium. Ben Howlett, MP for Bath, also abstained. Advertisement

Remarkably, in the same speech she also urged colleagues to end the 'hysterical' language in the Brexit debate.

The Government's move to quell the Tory rebellion was initially hailed as a 'huge concession' by shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer.

But ministers have pointed out that it will still be a 'take it or leave it' vote - meaning Britain would merely quit the bloc without new terms if MPs reject them.

The Government was helped to victory by six Labour MPs who voted to defeat demands for a final showdown in Parliament over the final Brexit deal.

They were chairman of the Work and Pensions Select Committee Frank Field, Ronnie Campbell, Kate Hoey, Kelvin Hopkins , Graham Stringer and Gisela Stuart.

All six backed the Brexit campaign last year.

Some 312 Tory MPs voted against the amendment along with seven DUP MPs.

Ukip's Douglas Carswell also voted against the move.

The developments came on another day of hand-to-hand combat in the House of Commons the government pushes through legislation to trigger Article 50.

After a first round of trouble-making amendments was seen off last night, the debate focused on calls for a 'meaningful' vote on whatever Mrs May agrees with Brussels.

There were fears that would raise the prospect of MPs sending the premier back to renegotiate a new package - weakening her hand in the talks - and potentially triggering a second referendum.

As the second day of the committee stage of the Bill got under way, Mr Jones told the Commons: 'We intend the vote will cover not only the withdrawal arrangements but also the future relationship with the European Union.

George Osborne broke the three-line whip to deliver a speech in Antwerp last night, pictured

While George Osborne - who gambled his ministerial career as the architect of Project Fear during last year's EU referendum - was speaking in Antwerp, his Tory colleague Nick Boles, pictured in the wheelchair, left his hospital bed to vote with the Government

'Furthermore, I can confirm that the Government will bring forward a motion on the final agreement to be approved by both houses of Parliament before it is concluded and we expect and intend that this will happen before the European Parliament debates and votes on the final agreement.'

But he then insisted the Commons vote would still be 'take it or leave it'.

Meanwhile, the premier was given a major boost today when Jeremy Corbyn announced he will order Labour MPs to vote in favour of the Bill tomorrow even if none of the party's amendments are passed.

The decision by the Opposition leader to impose a three line whip on the third reading tonight is likely to fuel deep divisions in the party.

Senior figures including shadow business secretary Clive Lewis have threatened to quit rather than back the legislation.

Some 47 Labour MPs rebelled against the leader last week, and he has yet to decide whether to sack 13 frontbenchers who were among their number.

Brexit minister Davis Jones made clear last night that the Government had no intention of accepting any of the hundreds of pages of amendments that have been tabled to the two clause Article 50 bill.

The seven Tory rebels included Heidi Allen, MP for South Cambridgeshire (left) and Anna Soubry, a former business minister and MP for Broxtowe (right)

Tory MPs Antoinette Sandbach, MP for Eddisbury (left) and Claire Perry, former rail minister and MP for Devizes (right) also rebelled against the Government

The Tory rebels included Ken Clarke, former chancellor and MP for Rushcliffe (left), Bob Neill, chairman of the Justice Select Committee and MP for Bromley and Chislehurst (middle) and Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the Treasury Select Committee and MP for Chichester (right)

The Government won a clear majority of 33 in the latest Commons showdown on Brexit tonight

In the Commons today, Brexit minister David Jones said MPs would get a vote on any deal with the EU before it was ratified by the European parliament

Dismissing Mr Corbyn's amendments, and a slew of others tabled by pro Remain backbenchers, Mr Jones said they were unnecessary.

CORBYN ORDERS HIS MPs TO BACK BREXIT BILL IN FINAL VOTE Jeremy Corbyn is facing a tense showdown with his own MPs after confirming he will order them to back the Brexit Bill. The Labour leader is imposing a three-line whip to support the crucial legislation tonight. The decision - made at a meeting of the shadow cabinet yesterday - comes despite threats from senior figures including shadow business secretary Clive Lewis to quit. Mr Corbyn was defied by 47 of his own MPs when he ordered them to back the Bill last week. He has been ridiculed for failing to sack 13 frontbenchers who voted against, saying at the weekend that he was a 'lenient person'. Mr Corbyn's key ally Diane Abbott failed to take part in the vote, claiming that she had developed a headache hours before it took place. There had been mounting speculation that Mr Corbyn would allow his MPs to abstain on the third reading of the Bill tomorrow in a bid to stop the party's divisions becoming even more catastrophic. Advertisement

During the debate, former shadow chancellor Chris Leslie claimed that doubts over post-Brexit arrangements for Britain's financial services mean there is a 'clear and present danger' to the economy.

Among Mr Leslie's many amendments to the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill are demands for more information on how the UK wants to work with EU agencies and bodies, including Europol.

He also wants two reports published each year to explain how the Government is aiming to 'defend and promote' access to European markets for the UK financial services sector.

Speaking during the Bill's committee stage, Mr Leslie said of the sector: 'You could say merely a small corner of Britain's GDP but it provides £67 billion of revenue for all of our schools, for all of our hospitals.

'If we mess around with that particular sector in the wrong way, we're all going to be poorer and our public services will be poorer as a result.'

In other debates tonight, MPs demanded a unilateral commitment to allow EU nationals currently living in Britain to stay after Brexit.

Mrs May has insisted she wants this to be final outcome but has refused to do so without similar guarantees for British expats on the continent.

Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, said EU nationals living in Britain should not be used as 'bargaining chips' in the Brexit negotiations.

Labour MP Harriet Harman and Vote Leave co-chair Gisela Stuart also called on Theresa May to 'set the tone' by giving the guarantee before formal talks with Brussels kick off.

The Opposition is seeking to amend the Bill allowing the Prime Minister to start formal Brexit talks by including the pledge.

Boris Johnson has urged MPs not to try to undermine the legislation going through the House

Cabinet ministers including Justine Greening (left) and Liz Truss (right) gathered for a meeting in Downing Street today ahead of more hand-to-hand combat in the Commons

Chancellor Philip Hammond and Brexit Secretary David Davis were among those at the Cabinet meeting in No10 today

Intervening on Conservative MP Mark Harper in the Commons during discussion on the Bill, Mr Tyrie said: 'Other nationals should not be treated as bargaining chips.

'And he would also, I'm sure, be aware that the Treasury Committee has heard a good deal of evidence to suggest that the failure to guarantee the rights of EU nationals is now beginning to damage the economy..

'Given that, and the overwhelming ethical case, doesn't he agree, on reflection, the time has come now, just to protect these citizens' rights?

But Mr Harper warned giving the guarantee risks 'throwing overboard the interests and concerns of UK citizens living elsewhere in the European Union' who have not received the same promise from the 27 EU member states.

Debates and votes on the fine details of the bill - which was agreed by a landslide last week - are due to be held until Wednesday evening.

The most dangerous moment for the Government is expected to be tomorrow evening when Tory rebels could back a Labour amendment on the need for a 'meaningful' final vote on Brexit.