MPs vote to demand Brexit plan and say article 50 should be triggered by end March – as it happened

• Britain has taken a significant, although largely symbolic, step closer to Brexit after the MPs voted by a majority of almost 400 to back Theresa May’s plan to trigger article 50 by the end of March. In two votes, Labour and Conservative MPs joined forces to back a Labour motion saying the government should publish a “plan for leaving the EU” before article 50 is invoked, and a government amendment saying the government should invoke article 50 by 31 March. The vote is not technically binding on the government, but it is the first time parliament has backed May’s Brexit timetable, which would lead to the UK being out of the EU by the end of March 2019 (assuming that the two-year withdrawal process does not get extended.)

• Labour has set out its conditions for supporting the triggering of article 50. In his speech Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, set out five conditions for the government’s Brexit plan. (See 4.41pm.) Unless the government wins its supreme court appeal there will have to be an article 50 bill and Starmer said, if the government’s Brexit plan did not fulfil his conditions, Labour would try to impose these terms on the government by amending the bill. On Sky News a moment ago, asked what would happen if the government did not cooperate, he said the government would face “further challenge” from Labour. He refused to elaborate on what this might mean, although ministers know they could be vulnerable to defeat because several dozen Tory MPs agree with Labour in favouring a “soft” Brexit. If there is an article 50 bill, the government wants to make it as hard to amend as possible, to minimise the chances of being defeated in this way.

• Labour’s decision to back the government amendment has triggered a significant rebellion. Some 23 Labour MPs defied the whip and voted against the amendment on the first vote. It is claimed that another 56 Labour MPs abstained, by not voting without being given permission to be absent. At the start of the week the Conservative party was said to be facing a rebellion, but only one Conservative MP, Ken Clarke. voted against the whip on the first vote. The Labour MPs who defied the whip did so because they thought it was wrong to agree to triggering article 50 by the end of March when the government still has not said what it wants. Labour denies offering the government a “blank cheque”, and Starmer stressed that his support for triggering article 50 was conditional.

• David Davis, the Brexit secretary, has refused to commit the government to publishing a white paper on its Brexit plan, suggesting that the “plan” that does get published will be a minimalist one. He has also refused to commit to giving MPs a vote on whether or not to leave the customs union. (See 2.57pm.)

That’s all from me for tonight.

Thanks for the comments.

According to the Lib Dems, these are the 23 Labour MPs who voted against the party whip on the first vote: Rushanara Ali: Graham Allen; Ben Bradshaw; Ann Coffey; Neil Coyle; Stella Creasy; Geraint Davies; Jim Dowd; Louise Ellman; Chris Evans; Paul Farrelly; Mike Gapes; Helen Hayes; Meg Hillier; Peter Kyle; David Lammy; Chris Leslie; Ian Murray; Barry Sheerman; Tulip Siddiq; Angela Smith; Catherine West; and Daniel Zeichner.

This is from the Lib Dem leader Tim Farron.

This is from the Press Association.

The second vote asked MPs to approve the amended motion, and therefore give their symbolic consent to both the call for a plan and for Brexit to be formally triggered by no later than the end of March next year.

Ken Clarke was the sole Conservative to vote against the motion.

He was joined by nine Labour MPs, 51 SNP MPs, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas and five Liberal Democrats, among others.

The SNP is using the same line as Iain Duncan Smith.

Labour’s Scottish MP Ian Murray has accused the SNP of lying.

Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative leave supporter and former work and pensions secretary, has told Sky News that the vote gives Theresa May a “blank cheque” for Brexit.

This is from the Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn.

This is from the Press Association.

MPs held two votes, with the first in favour of adding the Government amendment to the original Labour motion - by 461 votes to 89, majority 372.

This was opposed by 23 Labour MPs and one Conservative - former chancellor Ken Clarke.

The Labour rebels included Ben Bradshaw, David Lammy and former shadow chancellor Chris Leslie.

The amendment was also opposed by five Liberal Democrat MPs, three Plaid Cymru MPs and 51 SNP MPs.

Meanwhile, some 150 Labour MPs backed the government’s amendment.

This is from the Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn.

The Labour motion as amended has been passed by 448 to 75 votes - a majority of 373.

This is from the Daily Mail’s Jack Doyle.

These are from the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg.

Leave Means Leave, the successor to the Leave.EU campaign, has welcomed the vote. This is from its co-chair, Richard Tice.

This vote is a very significant step forward in the Brexit process.

Parliamentarians who, today, backed the government’s amendment have honoured the democratic decision taken by the British people in the EU referendum.

Going forward, these parliamentarians who voted with the government must not sabotage the Brexit process.

Any attempt to delay the process after backing this amendment would be an unforgivable betrayal of the British people.

This is from HuffingtonPost’s Paul Waugh.

In this division the tellers for the ayes are Labour MPs Nick Smith and Nic Dakin.

The tellers for the noes are Marion Fellows, an SNP whip, and the Lib Dem Tom Brake.

This is from the Mirror’s Dan Bloom.