One MP described it as a “score draw”.
But as the dust begins to settle on the key vote on the EU Withdrawal Bill, Theresa May and her colleagues appear to be confident they have maintained the Government’s primacy over Brexit.
Amid all the Commons heat and tension, the whips’ “dark arts” and the bizarre sight of the chief Tory rebel Dominic Grieve not voting for his own amendment, where does it leave us?
The nub of the matter is if there is no deal, what happens?
The Prime Minister has always said no deal is better than a bad deal. And if the EU cannot agree on terms, Britain will leave next March deal-less.
Remainers – Tory, Labour, SNP and Lib Dem – are horrified by this prospect and want to be able to tell UK ministers to get back around the negotiating table by having a “meaningful vote”.
Just before Wednesday’s Commons vote, which the Government feared it might lose, Brexit Secretary David Davis came up with a form of words that said, in the event of a no deal, it was up to the Speaker to determine whether a final Government motion could be changed or not.
Mr Grieve and his pro-EU chums believe this was an "obvious acknowledgement" of the sovereignty of Parliament over the Executive "in black and white language".
Not so, insisted ardent Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said all Mr Davis’s note did was clarify what the Commons rules were; nothing more.
Mr Davis’s statement also mentioned MPs being able to table their own motions and have votes on them. But, again, the Somerset MP pointed out MPs can table whatever motion they want to and have a vote on it without it having legal force.
In other words, come November, the Government could plough ahead with no deal regardless even if MPs voted to urge it to renegotiate.
Sound familiar? There are echoes of the row over Holyrood refusing to give consent to the EU Withdrawal Bill and Whitehall ploughing on in the face of it.
Parliament or Government? The law and Commons rules might be on UK ministers’ side but popular politics might be otherwise.
Plus, if John Bercow, who regards himself as a champion of Parliament has a key role, which way will he jump?
Just to point out, the Speaker has a sticker on his car; it reads: "B******s to Brexit.”
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