Government 'climbdown' sees MPs debate Brexit plans

May refuses to commit to keeping Britain in EU single market

Corbyn attacks 'shambolic Tory Brexit'

Labour demands Government answers 170 Brexit questions

Theresa May has refused to commit to giving MPs a vote on her Brexit strategy before triggering the process of leaving the European Union - despite allowing Tories to back a Labour call for "proper scrutiny" of the plan.

Brexit tensions boiled over in Parliament today as "hard Brexit" Tories accused their "soft Brexit" colleagues of "weasel words". The comments by Sir Bill Cash, made during a fiery Commons debate, came as others supported Labour's calls for the Government to spell out its Brexit plan and for it to be debated in Parliament.

The pound rallied on Wednesday after Mrs May moved to see off a Tory rebellion by allowing her MPs to back a Labour motion which calls for "full and transparent debate" on the Brexit plan and "proper scrutiny" of it before exit proceedings begin.

But crucially, the motion does not call for a vote on the strategy before Article 50 of the EU treaties is triggered by the end of March, and is not binding on ministers as it is being brought forward in an Opposition Day debate.

The Prime Minister was therefore able to insist her position has not changed, while allowing disgruntled Tories who want a vote to back the Labour motion without rebelling, by voting for a Government amendment which simply adds caveats.