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Theresa May has been accused of telling outright lies in a last-ditch speech to get MPs to back her Brexit deal.

Speaking today at a factory in Stoke, the Prime Minister claimed it's undemocractic to betray the 2016 EU referendum result.

And to prove it, she quoted another referendum. The one that set up the Welsh Assembly in 1997 - despite being won by a margin under 1%.

"Imagine if an anti-devolution House of Commons had said to the people, Parliament knew better?" she was set to declare.

The problem is, it seems that is EXACTLY what she, Theresa May, DID say to the people of Wales.

And she was forced to rewrite the quotes after Welsh party Plaid Cymru accused her of "lying" or a blatant bid to try and rewrite history.

As she faces the biggest Commons defeat since the Second World War, and unveils a desperate last-gasp offer from the EU in Parliament, is her extraordinary claim explained - and debunked.

What has Theresa May said?

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

Theresa May was due to make the comments in a speech to factory workers in Stoke-on-Trent, which voted heavily to leave the EU.

Her argument - hours before her Brexit deal is expected to be defeated in the Commons - was it'd be undemocratic to ignore the 2016 referendum.

In extracts pre-released by No10, she was due to say: "On the rare occasions when Parliament puts a question to the British people directly we have always understood that their response carries a profound significance.

"When the people of Wales voted by a margin of 0.3%, on a turnout of just over 50%, to endorse the creation of the Welsh Assembly, that result was accepted by both sides and the popular legitimacy of that institution has never seriously been questioned.

"Parliament understood this fact when it voted overwhelmingly to trigger Article 50. And both major parties did so too when they stood on election manifestos in 2017 that pledged to honour the result of the referendum.”

She was due to add: "Imagine if an anti-devolution House of Commons had said to the people of Scotland or Wales that despite voting in favour of a devolved legislature, Parliament knew better and would over-rule them. Or else force them to vote again."

So what's the problem?

(Image: REX/Shutterstock)

Theresa May personally voted against a Bill to set up the Welsh Assembly, AFTER the people of Wales had voted for one by 50.3% to 49.7%.

WHAT?

(Image: Getty Images)

Yes, really. She's making this claim despite personally voting to, critics say, reverse a referendum.

Parliament's records show she was one of 144 MPs, mostly Tories by the looks of it, who voted unsuccessfully to kill off the Government of Wales Bill on 9 December 1997.

That was three months after the referendum was held on setting up the Assembly.

The MPs in their amendment said there were "legitimate fears" about the "protection of geographic and cultural minorities" and the "proper resourcing of Wales to reflect need".

Ironically, they also warned devolution could harm Wales' "voice within Europe".

And it carried on for at least EIGHT YEARS

Perhaps Theresa May would be forgiven for opposing the Welsh devolution referendum three months after it happened.

Surely she changed her mind pretty quickly?

After all, the Welsh Assembly was up and running from 1999, with its first set of elections, People could move on.

Erm... no. The Tories carried on trying to open opportunities to abolish the Welsh Assembly - even after it was up and running.

It was even in the 2005 Tory manifesto

The 2001 Tory manifesto was pretty supportive, saying: "As Conservatives have demonstrated in our constructive participation in the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly, we will work to ensure devolution is a success."

But the 2005 Tory manifesto rowed back - promising a second referendum (yes really) that could abolish the Assembly altogether.

It said: "In Wales we will work with the Assembly and give the Welsh people a referendum on whether to keep the Assembly in its current form, increase its powers or abolish it."

It added: "Devolution has brought problems of accountability at Westminster."

Why Brexit vote defeat could be biggest since WW2 MPs were set to vote down the Brexit deal by more than 100 - making it the biggest defeat of a government since the Second World War. That's according to Prof Philip Cowley of Queen Mary University London, who analysed more than a century of votes in the Commons. Prof Cowley - who wrote the book on the 2017 general election - analysed all "meaningful" defeats of the government in the Commons. That meant excluding surprise 'ambush' votes, free votes and votes the government chose deliberately not to fight. The (known) record for a meaningful defeat is by 166 votes in 1924, under the minority Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald

votes in 1924, under the minority Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald Since WW2, the biggest 'meaningful' defeat of a government was by 89 votes in 1979

votes in 1979 The biggest rebellion of modern politics was in 2003 when 139 Labour MPs revolted against Tony Blair over the Iraq War

of modern politics was in 2003 when Labour MPs revolted against Tony Blair over the Iraq War The biggest ever Tory rebellion was in 1997 when 95 Conservatives rebelled over post-Dunblane gun control under John Major

How have MPs reacted?

(Image: Daily Mirror)

Plaid Cymru have accused Mrs May of "lying".

The party's Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts said: "The Prime Minister’s Brexit desperation has led to her either having a selective memory, deploy wilful hypocrisy or simply lie about the referendum on Welsh devolution.

"The Conservative Party campaigned against devolution and then promised a second referendum six years after it was established.

"The Prime Minister herself voted against the legislation which created the National Assembly for Wales, after the referendum.

"Unlike the unicorns of the Brexit referendum, the 1997 devolution vote was a clear question, with a clear outcome and clear a concequences. The only party to attack it legitimacy was her party - this is hypocrisy of the highest order.

"Mrs May's revisionist history shows a disregard for Wales, devolution and democracy.

"The Prime Minister should retract the statement and apologise."

Welsh Labour Stephen Doughty, of the anti-Brexit group Best For Britain, said: “This is a very strange example for the PM to use - not least given she herself voted against implementing the Welsh referendum result, and the Tories continued to oppose it for years afterwards!

"But unlike Brexit - the Welsh Assembly grew in public support after the referendum. Brexit has headed decisively in the opposite direction - which is why the people should have the final say.”

How did she change her speech?

What Theresa May was due to say

(Image: PA)

(Changes in bold)

She was due to say: "On the rare occasions when Parliament puts a question to the British people directly we have always understood that their response carries a profound significance.

"When the people of Wales voted by a margin of 0.3%, on a turnout of just over 50%, to endorse the creation of the Welsh Assembly, that result was accepted by both sides and the popular legitimacy of that institution has never seriously been questioned.

"Parliament understood this fact when it voted overwhelmingly to trigger Article 50.

"And both major parties did so too when they stood on election manifestos in 2017 that pledged to honour the result of the referendum.”

She was due to add: "Imagine if an anti-devolution House of Commons had said to the people of Scotland or Wales that despite voting in favour of a devolved legislature, Parliament knew better and would over-rule them. Or else force them to vote again."

What Theresa May said

(Image: PA)

(Changes in bold)

"On the rare occasions when Parliament puts a question to the British people directly we have always understood that their response carries a profound significance.

"When the people of Wales voted by a margin of 0.3%, on a turnout of just over 50%, to endorse the creation of the Welsh Assembly, that result was accepted by Parliament.

"Indeed we have never had a referendum in the United Kingdom that we have not honoured the result of.

"Parliament understood this fact when it voted overwhelmingly to trigger Article 50.

"And both major parties did so too when they stood on election manifestos in 2017 that pledged to honour the result of the referendum."

She added: "The House of Commons did not say to the people of Scotland or Wales that despite voting in favour of a devolved legislature, Parliament knew better and would over-rule them. Or else force them to vote again."