MPS have insisted that Parliament has "taken back control" of Brexit after Theresa May suffered the humiliation of a second Commons defeat in just 24 hours.

It followed another day of high drama at Westminster when, amid acrimonious scenes, John Bercow, the Commons Speaker, became engulfed in a bitter procedural row.

Enraged Conservatives accused him of breaking parliamentary protocol - later one senior Tory suggested Mr Bercow had shown “bias” - after he supposedly defied the advice of the Commons Clerk and allowed MPs to vote on an amendment to a business motion.

While a parliamentary technicality, it led to a vote in which another tranche of Tories rebelled, 17 this time, and which means that rather than having 21 days to come up with a Plan B if her deal is rejected next Tuesday - as is widely expected - the Prime Minister will have just three.

Furthermore, it is expected that if and when Mrs May produces an alternative plan, the Speaker will again incur the wrath of Government ministers and loyal Tories by ruling that MPs can seek to amend the PM’s new proposal, meaning that a range of options, including extending Article 50 and staging a People’s Vote, could be put forward.

In a twist, David Mundell yesterday intervened to suggest that the PM could in fact win next week’s vote on her Brexit Plan but, if she did not, he raised the prospect that the same deal could be put again to MPs.

The Scottish Secretary argued a second vote on the May Plan would “crystallise” matters in MPs’ minds and afford them the “opportunity to reflect and understand the real alternatives: crashing out of the EU in 80 days’ time or stopping Brexit altogether”.

He added: “I don’t think that’s what parliamentarians want.”

Today in a keynote speech to Labour members in Yorkshire, Jeremy Corbyn will say the most practical and democratic way to "break the deadlock" at Westminster over Brexit is to hold another general election.

During the first day of the resumed Commons debate on Brexit, the Labour leader’s colleague Sir Keir Starmer for the first time suggested the Opposition might support delaying exit day by extending the Article 50 process.

He told MPs: “There is a question of extension of Article 50 and that may be inevitable now given the position we are in. But, of course, we can only seek it because the other 27 have to agree.”

The Shadow Brexit Secretary added: “Leaving with no-deal would be catastrophic. I genuinely think we can’t do it on March 29 this year. It’s simply not viable for so many practical reasons. We’re going to have to look at what are the available options that realistically are still on the table.”

Earlier, the Commons was in uproar after it emerged the Speaker had allowed MPs the chance to have a major influence on the Brexit process through simply amending a business motion, which would set out the run of play. By convention, only ministers can change a business motion.

When word got round about Mr Bercow’s decision, incandescent rage spread through the Government and along the Conservative benches.

Following PMQs, many MPs raised Points of Order. One, Mark Francois, deputy chairman of the anti-EU ERG campaign, asked Mr Bercow why he had “overruled a motion of the House of Commons”.

The Speaker, who insisted he was “trying to do the right thing and make the right judgements,” was heckled by Tory MPs as he told Mr Francois the answer to his question was simple.

"We're not speaking here of a motion but of an amendment to a motion. I'm sorry but there is a distinction between a motion and an amendment,” declared Mr Bercow, at which Mr Francois yelled “ridiculous" and "utter sophistry".

Tensions rose even further when Andrea Leadsom, the Commons Leader, who has clashed with the Chair before, asked him to publish the advice of the Commons Clerk.

But the Speaker brushed her request aside, saying advice was given to him "privately and that's absolutely proper".

Later, the former Tory minister Crispin Blunt said many MPs had come to the conclusion the “referee is no longer neutral” and urged Mr Bercow to “reflect" on his position.

After the Government was defeated on the amendment by 308 votes to 297, a majority of 11, Tom Brake for the Liberal Democrats said it was “right Parliament has taken back control from a wayward Prime Minister and this failing Conservative Government”.

One Tory MP told The Herald: “The PM no longer has control over what’s happening in this place or what’s coming up. She will lose Tuesday’s vote and that will confirm Parliament is now running things.”

Another backbencher suggested the next move would be to hold indicative votes on a range of options, including extending Article 50. “The problem is,” he noted, “we know there is a majority against a no-deal but we don’t know what there is a majority for.”