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Boris Johnson last night suffered a major Brexit defeat after Tory rebels who were warned they would be kicked out of the party for voting against him sided with the opposition.

As Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg arrogantly slumped on the Commons benches after a long debate, MPs filed into the chambers to give their verdicts on the PM’s bid to crash Britain out of the EU with no deal.

The victory means they will today take over Parliament in order to try to block the move. And Mr Johnson warned if they succeed he will call a general election. But Labour and ­opposition MPs will today refuse to back the move leaving Mr Johnson limping on in office but not in power.

Jeremy Corbyn said he welcomed an election – but confirmed his first priority was preventing no-deal.

The Labour leader said: “Fine, get the bill through first in order to take no-deal off the table.”

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

SNP leader at Westminster Iain Blackford and Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson also said they would prioritise blocking a damaging departure.

Their refusal to back Mr Johnson’s plan for an October election until no-deal is stopped is deeply humiliating for the PM. His already fragile majority was left in tatters last night after a dramatic day of defections, rebellion and recriminations.

Tory Philip Lee switched to the Lib Dems as the PM spoke at the despatch box, wiping out the Government’s majority. Mr Johnson lost the vote by 328 to 301, a majority of 27.

The 21 Tory rebels included Philip Hammond, former chancellor Ken Clarke, Rory Stewart and Winston Churchill’s grandson Nicholas Soames. They were last night sacked – but vowed to defy their deselections.

Former Chancellor Mr Hammond warned of the “fight of a lifetime” if the party tried to block him standing as a Tory candidate at the next election.

Mr Clarke accused the PM of ­plotting to fight a hasty election before the consequences of a no-deal Brexit became “too obvious to the public”.

Mr Johnson had hoped the threat of expulsion from the party would be enough to bring them into line – but the move backfired spectacularly as the angry rebels hunkered down. And axing them would deprive the ­Government of 21 more MPs – ­potentially leaving it struggling to pass any legislation.

Just two Brexiteer Labour MPs, Kate Hoey and John Mann, voted to back the PM. The Commons defeat is the first step in a plan to force him to ask Brussels for another delay to his Brexit deadline of October 31.

Mr Johnson said if MPs won the vote it would force him to “beg for another pointless delay” to Brexit which he would refuse to do. He added: “It means running up the white flag.”

After losing, the clearly rattled PM said: “Let there be no doubt about the ­consequences of this vote tonight. It means that Parliament is on the brink of wrecking any deal we might be able to strike in Brussels.

“Because tomorrow’s bill would hand control of the negotiations to the EU. And that would mean more dither, more delay, more confusion.

“I don’t want an election but if MPs vote tomorrow to stop the ­negotiations and to compel another pointless delay of Brexit, potentially for years, then that will be the only way to resolve this. I can confirm that tonight we will are tabling a motion under the Fixed Term Parliament Act.”

But Mr Corbyn had argued it would be the “last opportunity” for ­Parliament to block a no-deal.

He said: “If we don’t take action today, we may not get another chance.”

(Image: UK PARLIAMENTARY RECORDING UNIT/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX)

Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry insisted Labour wanted an election, but “at a time of our choosing, and not on a wing and a prayer offered us by Boris Johnson”.

As MPs debated the emergency motion, protesters chanting “stop the coup” marched past Parliament.

Purple, red and green smoke was released at the front of the column of demonstrators who blocked roads around Westminster.

Mr Johnson’s full-blown Tory civil war followed a stormy meeting with rebels during which he told them that delaying Brexit would be an “extinction level event”. MPs also turned their fury on Mr Rees-Mogg for lying down after the debate. Green Party MP ­Caroline Lucas branded him “contemptuous”. She said: “The Leader of the House has been spread across around three seats, lying out as if that was ­something very boring for him to listen to tonight.”

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

As the Government was engaged in the fight for its life, Mr Johnson’s controversial aide Dominic Cummings was spotted wandering down a corridor near ­journalists’ offices in ­Parliament – carrying a glass of red wine with his shirt untucked.

In an extraordinary move, a group of 17 Labour MPs with Leave seats said they would try to bring back Theresa May’s three-times rejected deal for a fourth time in the belief it would be better than crashing out.

The PM will travel to Dublin on Monday for discussions with Irish PM Leo Varadkar focused on alternative arrangements to the Irish border ­backstop – a key sticking point in the ­negotiations. Chancellor Sajid Javid is to today announce an ­additional £2billion of Brexit funding for ­government ­departments when he

sets out public spending and ­investment plans.

He will use the 12-month spending round to confirm that £2billion of Brexit money provided in 2019/20 will continue into 2020/21 – to be spent on projects linked to Brexit delivery after the UK leaves the EU.