Jonathan Djanogly and Heidi Allen were two of the Conservative MPs who helped defeat the government in last night’s vote for parliament to have a final say on the Brexit deal.

The Hunts Post: Both Jonathan Djanogly and Heidi Allen also featured on the Daily Telegraph front page in November.Both Jonathan Djanogly and Heidi Allen also featured on the Daily Telegraph front page in November. (Image: Archant)

The members for Huntingdon and South Cambridgeshire respectively, backed Amendment 7 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, giving MPs a legal guarantee of a vote on the final Brexit deal Prime Minister Theresa May strikes with Brussels – ahead of us leaving the EU in March 2019.

Mr Djanogly and Mrs Allen were two of 12 Tory MPs who rebelled against the Conservative government in the poll – which saw Mrs May lose by four votes in her first loss in the House of Commons as PM.

Before the vote, Mrs Allen tweeted: “Statutory instruments and executive power and not good enough for any Bill, let alone one affecting every single person in the UK. and British Nationals in the EU - #article7 will ensure Parliament can do its job.”

Afterwards she tweeted: “So....... Amendment 7 is go!”

The Hunts Post has contacted Mr Djanogly for comment and he told us: “The vote last night was not about stopping or delaying Brexit; neither was it a reflection on the performance of the Prime Minister who I have publicly congratulated on a remarkable deal on the EU Withdrawal phase one negotiations last week.

This vote was about how we organise the constitutional mechanics of leaving the EU and specifically addressing the unprecedented powers that the Bill would have given to ministers to implement the withdrawal agreement with the EU. These are known as Henry VIII powers, where the government could push through any kind of future arrangement that we may have with the EU, without parliamentary consent.

The amendment which I supported, provides that these Henry VIII powers only activate after parliament has passed a Bill approving the terms of Brexit. In a nutshell, we need to ask: if Brexit is meant to be about handing back control to Parliament - then why did this Brexit Bill remove power from parliament and hand it to the executive?

In my view, and with my support, Brexit will happen. However, as we go through what will certainly be a complicated series of negotiations as to the form of our future relationship with the European Union as an independent country, I will be mindful to do this in a way that neither upsets the constitution or hinders the government’s ability to negotiate decent terms.”