Mike Settle, UK Political Editor

BORIS Johnson and his Government will “break” the Opposition and the pro-Remain forces at Westminster to get Brexit done by October 31, senior Conservative sources have insisted.

The audacious claim came as the Prime Minister remained defiant after suffering a major setback in his bid to secure Britain’s withdrawal from the EU by Hallowe’en.

At a special Saturday sitting of the House of Commons, MPs voted by 322 to 306 in favour of an amendment to withhold approval of the new UK-EU Brexit deal until the legislation to implement it is in place.

The majority of 16 means if the 10 Democratic Unionist MPs had voted for the Government instead of against, it would have won.

But this also means if there is another vote, then Mr Johnson needs nine of the 16 to switch sides; or perhaps even fewer of those 16 as seven MPs, for whatever reason, did not vote.

The proposed change tabled by Sir Oliver Letwin, the former Cabinet minister, was intended to force Mr Johnson to comply with the so-called Benn Act requiring him to seek a Brexit extension.

But amid raucous Commons scenes the PM insisted he was not "daunted or dismayed" by the defeat and remained committed to taking Britain out of the EU by October 31.

"I will not negotiate a delay with the EU; neither does the law compel me to do so," he declared.

Later, Downing St refused to say whether Mr Johnson would or would not send the letter by 11pm on Saturday seeking a Brexit extension from Brussels as called for by the Benn Act. “Governments comply with the law,” insisted the PM’s spokesman, stressing he would add nothing to Mr Johnson’s remarks in the Commons chamber.

As thousands of protesters gathered outside Westminster for a People’s Vote rally, Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Commons Leader, after the vote required a police escort to his home near the Commons with demonstrators booing and shouting: “Shame on you.”

Andrea Leadsom, the Business Secretary, who also needed a police escort to leave the parliamentary estate, tweeted: “Why do the so called 'People's Vote' protesters think it's ok to abuse, intimidate and scream in the face of someone they don't agree with? So frightening, and so grateful to the police."

Labour's Diane Abbott was filmed being targeted by pro-Brexit demonstrators, who asked if she was wearing "Jeremy Corbyn's slippers".

Minutes after the key vote, Mr Rees-Mogg announced to MPs the Government would seek a so-called “meaningful vote” on the Brexit deal on Monday.

Section 13 1(b) of the 2018 European Union Withdrawal Act requires MPs to have a meaningful vote on any Brexit deal for it to be ratified.

However, The Herald was told John Bercow, the Commons Speaker, would meet with legal clerks this weekend to judge whether or not this was permissable.

Earlier this year, he prevented Theresa May from holding repeat votes on broadly the same question as she failed to secure support for her Brexit deal.

Mr Bercow admitted to being “blind-sided” by the Government’s move, telling MPs: "The apparent purpose of the said motion which ministers are attempting to table is to invalidate or obviate the effect of the decision that the House has reached today and that does seem most curious and irregular.”

A refusal by the Speaker would pave the way for a war of parliamentary attrition as Government whips seek to force the new Withdrawal and Implementation Bill[WAIB] through both Houses by October 31.

The first Commons debate on the legislation, the Second Reading, is expected on Tuesday, which is likely to mean a pause to the Queen’s Speech debate.

Government sources made clear that it intended to use “all means necessary” to get WAIB on the Statute Book by the end of October to fulfil the requirement under the Letwin Amendment.

One senior Conservative close to the PM told The Herald: “The Government is going to push the legislation through around the clock to get it all in place by October 31. The opposition parties can do what they like to disrupt the Withdrawal Bill’s progress but we will break them.”

Earlier, the atmosphere in the Commons was tense as the chamber and public gallery were packed for the five-hour debate. Members of the public had been queuing since dawn to get a seat.

Mr Johnson began the proceedings with a heartfelt plea, calling on MPs to back his deal and “end this debilitating feud” to heal Britain.

He urged them to abandon the "delusion" that they could simply delay Brexit yet again.

"Whatever letters they may seek to force the Government to write, it cannot change my judgement that further delay is pointless, expensive and deeply corrosive of public trust," declared the PM.

"People simply will not understand how politicians can say with one breath that they want delay to avoid no deal and then with the next breath that they still want delay when a great deal is there to be done.

"Now is the time to get this thing done, and I say to all members let us come together as democrats to end this debilitating feud," added Mr Johnson.

His attempt to make an eleventh-hour concession to Labour MPs, saying he was committed to the "highest standards" of workers' rights and environmental protections outside the EU, was rejected by Jeremy Corbyn, who dismissed them as "empty promises".

“This Government cannot be trusted and these benches will not be duped," declared the Labour leader.

"Voting for a deal today won't end Brexit. It won't deliver certainty and the people should have the final say. Labour is not prepared to sell-out the communities we represent. We are not prepared to sell out their future. And we will not back this sell-out deal," added the Labour leader.

Ian Blackford for the SNP claimed Scotland had been “shafted” by the UK Government on Brexit.

He was equally scathing about the Johnson Plan, saying: "The Prime Minister has returned from Brussels to present a deal that he knows, that we all know is actually worse than Theresa May's deal, a deal that would see Scotland shafted by this United Kingdom Government, left at an economic disadvantage, with Scotland's views totally disregarded by this Prime Minister and his Government.”

The Highland MP added: "Not a single MP who cares about Scotland's future should consider supporting the Prime Minister today."

In response, Mr Johnson accused Mr Blackford of being a “little bit churlish” as he had also not mentioned England or Wales.

"The reason of course that Northern Ireland is a particular subject of discussion, it is a legitimate point, is that there are particular circumstances in Northern Ireland at the border which deserve particular respect and sensitivity and that is what they have received," explained the PM.

At the end of the debate as MPs filed into the lobbies to vote Alister Jack, the Scottish Secretary, patted the PM on the shoulder.

Later as the result drew near, Mark Spencer, the Chief Whip, was spotted briefing Mr Johnson, who could be seen scribbling frantically on a piece of paper before a loud cheer erupted from the opposition benches, indicating they had won the day.