Jeremy Corbyn ordered his MPs not to take part in Theresa May's desperate effort to win votes for her Brexit deal today as the stalemate in Westminster deepened.
The Labour leader has refused to meet the Prime Minister in the aftermath of Tuesday night's devastating vote unless she rules out ever allowing a no deal Brexit to happen.
Mrs May wrote to the Labour leader tonight to say she was 'disappointed' at his stance - reminding him he has repeatedly insisted 'dialogue in politics' is crucial. Mr Corbyn has been repeatedly criticised for meeting with extremists on the grounds of peace talks.
Mrs May and senior ministers have scrambled to hold a round of cross-party meetings today in a frantic effort to find a way forward after the landslide defeat of the deal. The PM finally extended an olive branch to other parties after winning a confidence vote last night.
But despite the renewed effort to find a consensus, it emerged today Mrs May faces the prospect of a slew of resignations as Remainer rebels fight to block a no deal ever happening.
Ex-Tory minister Nick Boles is tabling an amendment that would empower backbenchers to push through legislation extending the Article 50 process by nine months - effectively avoiding a cliff edge.
He told the Evening Standard that around 20 ministers are ready to resign if Chief Whip Julian Smith tries to order them to oppose the amendment, which would be considered alongside Mrs May's 'Plan B' on January 29.
A number of Cabinet members are also said to have vowed that they will not oppose the mechanism. Chancellor Philip Hammond suggested he supported the idea in a conference call with business leaders this week.
Senior Labour MPs Hilary Benn and Yvette Cooper have both been in Downing Street for talks today in defiance of Mr Corbyn's orders. Both demanded Mrs May remove the threat of No Deal.
Others in No 10 today included Tory Eurosceptics including David Davis, DUP leader Arlene Foster, and Green MP Caroline Lucas.
Jeremy Corbyn (pictured today campaigning in Hastings) ordered his MPs not to take part in Theresa May's desperate effort to win votes for her Brexit deal today as the stalemate in Westminster deepened
Senior Labour MPs Hilary Benn and Yvette Cooper (pictured) have both been in Downing Street for talks today in defiance of Mr Corbyn's orders. Both demanded Mrs May remove the threat of No Deal.
Tory Brexiteers including (left to right) Owen Paterson, Iain Duncan Smith, David Davis, Mark Francois and Steve Baker were in Whitehall for meetings today as wrangling continued
Tory 1922 committee chairman Graham Brady (left) and Caroline Lucas were also in Downing Street as the talks rumble on
In a Downing Street speech last night, Theresa May held out an olive branch to political rivals last night after surviving a Labour bid to oust her
In his letter to Labour MPs, Mr Corbyn said: 'I urge colleagues to respect that condition and refrain for engagement with the Government until 'no deal' is taken off the table.
'I thank you for your support.'
After Mr Corbyn's orders appeared, Mrs May wrote to the Labour leader. She said: 'As politicians, we have a responsibility to not to simply say what we want but also to explain how we can achieve it.
'I recognise that you would want to put forward your own proposals and I would be happy to discuss them with you.
'You have always believed in the importance of dialogue in politics. Do you really believe that, as well as declining to meet for talks yourself, it is right to ask your MPs not to seek a solution with the Government?
'My door remains open to a meeting without preconditions so that we, as Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition can talk and see if we can begin to find a way forward for our country on Brexit.
Speaking outside the Cabinet Office following a meeting with David Lidington, Mr Benn said: 'The government has to rule out no deal. That's the first step.
'Secondly, the Prime Minister needs to change her red lines.'
Ms Cooper said: 'The most important thing now is that the Government actually listens and it doesn't just think that a defeat that was that huge can simply be dismissed.'
The pair said they had attended the meeting in their capacity as chairpersons of cross parliamentary committees after Jeremy Corbyn barred Labour MPs from engaging with the government while no deal is still an option.
Mr Boles told the Evening Standard: 'A large single-digit-number of Cabinet ministers have told me they will not vote against the amendment.
'A larger number of up to 20 ministers outside Cabinet say they will resign if they are whipped to vote against the amendment.'
He added: 'If anything this is gathering greater momentum across the House.'
Mrs May's effective deputy David Lidington is co-ordinating the drive to hammer out a solution, while Environment Secretary and Leave campaign veteran Michael Gove is playing a key role.
Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn used a speech in Hastings to dismiss the cross-party overtures as a 'stunt' and brand Mrs May 'incompetent' - although he also managed to get the day of the Brexit deal vote wrong and at one point left a long pause mid-sentence as he struggled to turn a page.
Allies of the Labour leader boasted that his tactics mean Mrs May will have to split the Tory party if she wants to get a Brexit package through the Commons.
Tory and Opposition MPs pointed out that Mr Corbyn was willing to 'sit down with terrorists' without any preconditions - insisting his only aim was to seize power whatever the consequences for the country.
Tony Blair also waded in this morning by saying 'of course' Mr Corbyn should accept the premier's invitation at a 'moment of crisis'.
Despite the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford meeting the premier last night, Mrs Sturgeon today pulled her party out of the talks, claiming she would not be 'complicit in more time wasting'.
Mr Corbyn saw his latest bid to force an election spectacularly backfire in the Commons last night.
A no-confidence motion tabled by Labour was defeated by 325 votes to 306 - with the victory margin of 19 significantly larger than Mrs May's effective majority of 13.
The PM's position was secured by the DUP and Tory Brexiteers coming back into the fold despite dealing her a vicious humiliation by defeating her EU deal the night before.
Speaking outside Number 10 late last night, Mrs May said: 'I understand that to people getting on with their lives, away from Westminster, the events of the past 24 hours will have been unsettling.
'Overwhelmingly, the British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit, and also address the other important issues they care about.
'But the deal which I have worked to agree with the European Union was rejected by MPs, and by a large margin. I believe it is my duty to deliver on the British people's instruction to leave the EU. And I intend to do so.'
But Mr Corbyn underlined his intentions by delivering a Brexit speech in the marginal constituency of Hastings this morning.
'Last night's offer of talks with party leaders turned out to be simply a stunt, not the serious attempt to engage with the new reality that is needed,' he said.
He added: 'I say to the Prime Minister again: I am quite happy to talk but the starting point for any talks about Brexit must be that the threat of a disastrous no-deal outcome is ruled out, taken off the table, and we can talk about the future of the plans that we will put forward and the future relationship with Europe.'
Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable accused Mr Corbyn of saying 'political games', saying the party's 11 MPs would not support Labour if it calls another confidence vote.
'Since he appears to be determined to play party political games rather than acting on the wishes of his own members and MPs, he will no longer be able to rely on our support for further no confidence motions,' he said.
'I believe other parties are taking the same view. It's time Mr Corbyn got off the fence and made his position plain.'
Ms Lucas said she believed the PM was in 'listening mode' and revealed that their meeting overran by about 15 minutes, saying that was a good sign.
'I still remain really concerned that this reaching out across parliament is happening far too late and I'm not convinced she's willing to loosen any of the red lines she's set herself,' she said.
Chancellor Philip Hammond (left) suggested he supported the idea in a conference call with business leaders this week. Hilary Benn and Yvette Cooper (right) were also spotted near Downing Street today
DUP leader Arlene Foster (right) and her deputy Nigel Dodds (left) said their main concern was still the Irish border backstop
Tory MP Nick Boles (left) has put forward a plan that could allow backbenchers to remove the no-deal cliff edge. Nicola Sturgeon (right) has withdrawn the SNP from cross-party talks
'She still thinks it's going to be possible to tweak this deal sufficiently to get the 230 MPs that voted against it to swing behind it - I remain pretty sceptical about that.'
DUP leader Arlene Foster, who met the PM along with her deputy Nigel Dodds earlier, said the Irish backstop was still her party's biggest concern in the Brexit negotiation.
Speaking outside 10 Downing Street she said: 'We are optimistic. We want to see a Withdrawal Agreement that works for the whole of the United Kingdom and one that works for the European Union.
'The way to do that is to deal with the backstop.'
Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom told MPs they will debate the Government's proposed Brexit 'next steps' on January 29. It had initially be thought that the votes would be on Monday, or later in the week.
She said: 'A statement and a motion on the Government's next steps under Section 13 of the EU (Withdrawal) Act will be tabled on Monday.
'A full day's debate on the motion will take place on Tuesday January 29, subject to the agreement of the House.'
Immediately after her victory in the confidence vote was declared last night, Mrs May invited the other party leaders to join talks.
But in an extraordinary snub Mr Corbyn immediately refused, saying he would only join discussions if Mrs May ruled out no deal.
Tory and Labour MPs voiced anger that the veteran left-winger was willing to 'sit down with terrorists' without conditions, but would not meet the leader of the UK to resolve the biggest crisis facing the country.
Mrs May tried to rally her divided MPs yesterday as she faced yet another battle for her political life with a confidence vote
Environment Secretary Michael Gove (left) and Cabinet Office minister David Lidington (right) are said to be coordinating the charm offensive today
In her Downing Street statement last night, Mrs May said she had held 'constructive' meetings with the leaders of the Lib Dems, SNP and Plaid Cymru.
'I am disappointed that the leader of the Labour Party has not so far chosen to take part, but our door remains open,' she added.
The PM's official spokesman insisted the talks were a genuine attempt to find common ground.
'We expect people to come with their own views and ideas,' he said. 'Clearly there are areas where we are not going to agree. The proposal is to find areas of a consensus and and a way forward.'
But the spokesman made clear Mrs May's views on a second referendum – that it would betray the 2016 vote and was wrong – was unchanged.
He said the Government remained committed to Britain leaving on time on March 29.
Asked if there were any areas where Mrs May was prepared to make concessions, the spokesman pointed to a commitment made before Tuesday's vote to match EU standards on workers' rights and environmental protection.
MPs lashed the Labour leader - accusing him of sitting down with terrorists but rebuffing the leader of the United Kingdom at a time of national crisis.
In 1984, Corbyn invited Linda Quigley and Gerard McLoughlin for tea in Parliament - both were convicted of IRA terrorism.
Tory MP James Heappey retorted: 'Jeremy Corbyn has sat down with terrorists around the world apparently in pursuit of and always without preconditions.
'But will he sit down with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to tackle biggest constitutional challenge of our time without preconditions? Errr, no.'
Labour MP Chris Leslie also attacked him, telling MailOnline: 'Every opportunity to influence Brexit policy ought to be taken - surely we should be taking the chance to see the Prime Minister, even if all we get is time to persuade her of the merits of a People's Vote?'
Tory minister Guy Opperman told CNN: 'I'd like Labour to stop playing politics, get round the table, and identify specifically what in the withdrawal agreement and the political agreement they manifestly disagree with, because until they spell out their position – and the other parties, but the main one is Labour – we don't know where the common ground it.'
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Main photo article Jeremy Corbyn ordered his MPs not to take part in Theresa May’s desperate effort to win votes for her Brexit deal today as the stalemate in Westminster deepened.
The Labour leader has refused to meet the Prime Minister in the aftermath of Tuesday night’s devastating vote unless she ...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
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