A humbled Theresa May will travel for more talks in Brussels today after 11 Tory rebels inflicted a humiliating Commons defeat on her flagship Brexit bill.

Cheers rang out in the chamber after ringleader Dominic Grieve, the former Attorney General, ensured MPs will have the final say on the EU withdrawal deal by securing a slender majority of just four, prompting claims MPs had “taken back control” of Brexit.

The Prime Minister was expecting to savour the victory of getting the backing of the EU27 to move the Brexit talks onto transition and trade at the European Council but will arrive in the Belgian capital still experiencing the bitter taste of her first parliamentary setback.

In a damaging blow to her already diminished authority, Tory rebels rallied around Mr Grieve to back his attempt to ensure MPs have a so-called "meaningful vote" on the withdrawal deal.

READ MORE: Westminster vote makes Theresa May's Brexit negotiating hand weaker

A dramatic last-minute concession by Dominic Raab, the Justice Minister, was brushed aside as "too late" by Mr Grieve, whose amendment to the bill squeezed through the Commons on a majority of just four following an impassioned eight-hour debate.

Amid intense scenes in the Commons as the division was called, would-be rebel Vicky Ford appeared to be wavering between division lobbies before being ushered towards the Government side by Chancellor Philip Hammond and Brexiteer MP James Cleverly.

Seconds before the vote was announced, MPs were signalling the result. Cheers rang around the chamber as ministers sat glumly on the Government frontbenches awaiting the formal reading of the vote tally: 309 for Mr Grieve’s amendment to 305 against.

Earlier, Mrs May insisted the UK Government had already offered MPs a “meaningful vote” on the Brexit deal and that it would take place before the point of Brexit in March 2019.

READ MORE: Westminster vote makes Theresa May's Brexit negotiating hand weaker

Yet MPs wanted the vote to be written into law so that the Government would not be able to implement the withdrawal agreement struck with Brussels until Parliament had officially signed it off.

Seconds after the vote, Tory Remainer Nicky Morgan, the former Education Secretary, tweeted "Tonight Parliament took control of the EU withdrawal process."

Jeremy Corbyn described the defeat as "a humiliating loss of authority" for Mrs May. The Labour leader added: “Theresa May has resisted democratic accountability. Her refusal to listen means she will now have to accept Parliament taking back control.”

Stephen Gethins for the SNP said: “The Tories’ hopeless divisions have been exposed with Brexiteers arguing that leaving the EU was about getting sovereignty back to Westminster; this convinced Tory rebels to break ranks with their beleaguered Prime Minister; still stumbling from crisis to crisis.

READ MORE: Westminster vote makes Theresa May's Brexit negotiating hand weaker

''The UK Government tried to defend the indefensible and tonight's humiliation for the Tories was completely avoidable. Theresa May and her Brexit ministers need to reach out and not just listen to their paid-up supporters in the DUP. They need to listen to the views of all parties in this parliament of minorities,” insisted the Nationalists’ Europe spokesman.

Labour’s Chukka Umunna for Open Britain, which campaigns for close ties with the EU, declared: “This is a victory for British parliamentary democracy.”

He went on: “The Commons has been absolutely clear we will not permit our country to be railroaded into a job-destroying hard Brexit, or even a no deal Brexit, without Parliament having a meaningful vote on the matter.

“For too long ministers have been engaged in a deliberate attempt to silence dissenting voices and shut down democratic debate. They must now learn their lesson and start to treat Parliament – and the people we serve – with respect.”

READ MORE: Westminster vote makes Theresa May's Brexit negotiating hand weaker

He added: “Tonight, MPs have taken back control for the British people. We will scrutinise the Brexit process on behalf of our constituents, and we will not tolerate a Brexit that damages our economy or our great country.”

A spokesman for the Government said it was “disappointed” at the vote given the strong assurances it had set out.

"We are as clear as ever that this Bill, and the powers within it, are essential.

“This amendment does not prevent us from preparing our Statute Book for exit day. We will now determine whether further changes are needed to the Bill to ensure it fulfils its vital purpose," he added.

After the vote, the PM tried to reassert her authority by sacking one of the rebels, Stephen Hammond, from his role as Conservative Party vice chairman.

The Wimbledon MP was appointed Tory vice chairman for London in July, as the party sought to rebuild following the disastrous election campaign which saw it lose seats to Labour and the Liberal Democrats in the capital.

READ MORE: Westminster vote makes Theresa May's Brexit negotiating hand weaker

He said: "It's disappointing, it gives me no pleasure to vote against the Government but I've made it very clear that for me, this was a point of principle and just occasionally in one's life one has to put principle before party. I know that sounds pompous but I've never done it before."

During the debate one of the Tory rebels Anna Soubry said: “There comes a time when you have to set aside party differences and even party loyalty and you have to be true to what you believe in, and perhaps that time is now.”