Brexit divisions laid bare in heated Parliamentary debate

The first major Commons vote on the road towards the UK leaving the EU is to take place after MPs complete a marathon two-day debate on triggering Article 50.

At the end of the first day of the second reading debate on the bill, which went on until four minutes to midnight, almost 100 MPs had already spoken for and against.

The final speaker, Tory Eurosceptic David Nuttall, made the shortest speech of the day, declaring in a booming voice: "The people have spoken. This bill must be passed!"

Theresa May is assured of a large majority in favour of the Government's bill to approve triggering Article 50, with Tory MPs and most Labour MPs set to vote for it.

But the Labour Party is badly split, with up to 60 of its backbenchers and a handful of rebel frontbenchers declaring they will defy their leader's order to vote for the bill.

Towards the end of day one of the debate, one of its leading opponents, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, told MPs: "For my mind, the bottom line is this: that the Prime Minister has no mandate for the extreme Brexit she is pursuing.

"It was not on the ballot paper."

But one of the leading campaigners for Brexit, Tory MP Steve Baker, said: "If we were to go ahead and refuse this bill, I believe that even our own party on this side would suffer grave consequences.

"It's in all of our interests that this bill passes."

He also - rather surprisingly - defended David Cameron, who called the referendum, saying: "My experience was that everything he did was motivated by the highest concerns for this country."

Earlier during the debate, Labour's divisions were laid bare when shadow Foreign Office minister Catherine West risked the sack by announcing she would vote against triggering Article 50.

Claiming it was the only way to make the Government listen, she said: "It's not just about jobs and the economy.

"It's about our children, our grandchildren and about peace and prosperity."

A few minutes later, Labour's Jo Stevens, who quit as shadow Welsh secretary last week over Mr Corbyn's order to vote for Article 50, said: "The referendum result last year felt like a body blow.

"The Prime Minister's Lancaster House speech felt like the life-support machine being switched off and triggering Article 50 will for me feel like the funeral."

She was followed by Labour's former Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw, who said he would go against a three-line whip on a bill for the first time in nearly 20 years as an MP.

"This could be our only chance to prevent the hardest of Brexits, or to soften its blow," he told MPs.

"I cannot and will not vote to destroy jobs and prosperity in my constituency."