May hints at possible need for election, saying MPs 'reaching limits' of Brexit process - as it happened

That’s all from us this evening – thanks for reading. Here’s a summary of the day’s events:

• MPs rejected the prime minister’s Brexit deal for a third time, throwing the plan for an orderly Brexit in May into chaos. A delay until 22 May, agreed with the EU last week, was dependent on the deal passing. A series of leave-supporting Conservative backbenchers, who had previously balked at the deal, reversed their positions after Theresa May said she would leave Downing Street if it passed.
• Competing pro-Brexit rallies were held in Westminster on the day many attendees had assumed would see them celebrating the UK’s exit. Five people were arrested during the demonstrations, which attracted figures from the far-right, as well as more moderate Brexiters.
• MPs may be asked to vote again on the deal, amid indications the prime minister may be willing to call a general election. May told the Commons: “I fear we are reaching the limits of this process in this house,” which has been interpreted in some quarters as a warning that, should MPs fail to back her, she could go to the country.
• The EU said the vote meant a no-deal Brexit was now likely and that a managed such process would not be on offer. The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, underlined this, saying it did not appear clear the fact was appreciated in London.

If you’d like to read yet more, my colleagues Heather Stewart and Jessica Elgot have the full story:

Scotland Yard has now updated the arrest figures for today’s rallies:

The first three mentioned above have been added since 5.30pm. The other two arrests were made before that time.

As of 5.30pm, there had been two arrests at today’s pro-Brexit rallies, Scotland Yard says.

One male was identified as being wanted for an offence in Hertfordshire and subsequently arrested.

One male was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer.

Both suspects have been taken to a central London police station, where they remain in custody.

Police are unable to say at this point what offence the first person was arrested on suspicion of.

Supporters of Yaxley-Lennon have marched to Downing Street. Many of his backers have begun to engage in heated exchanges with the police officers there, according to the Press Association. They chanted “we want our country back” and “we want Brexit”, before turning on a television crew.

The rallies in Westminster are dying down but Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, the far-right activist also known as Tommy Robinson, has returned to the stage. With a much-diminished crowd, the chants of “oh Tommy Robinson” continued as he led a singalong of Rule Britannia.

Yaxley-Lennon, who’s serving as an adviser to the Ukip leader, Gerard Batten, had previously told the crowd that Nigel Farage, the party’s former leader, “does not care about you, he is exactly the same as the establishment”. Farage was speaking at a rival rally nearby.

And, just now, a report has emerged of tensions between Yaxley-Lennon’s supporters and the police beginning to simmer. According to the Press Association, some have been engaging in a tug of war with officers over metal railings. Some Robinson backers are wearing yellow vests, while others have masks on, and appeared to be swearing and shouting at the police.

Earlier, the SNP MP, Joanna Cherry, tweeted:

The Labour MP, Lisa Nandy, had also said she was the object of abuse.

Opposition leaders in Ireland have voiced their disappointment at rejection of the withdrawal agreement in the House of Commons. The Sinn Féin leader, Mary Lou McDonald, has said:

The behaviour of the DUP has been reckless and outrageous. They have been seduced by the games at Westminster at the cost of farmers, the economy and the views of the majority in the north.

Our economy, the rights of citizens and our hard-won agreements cannot be collateral damage to Westminster.

Sinn Fein is due to meet the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, and other European leaders in Brussels on Monday. McDonald added:

We will be pressing the case that in a crash-out Brexit, the EU must continue to act in the interests of all Ireland and support for our agreements, rights and economy.

The Fianna Fáil leader, Micheal Martin, said a further extension to article 50 was needed to ease tensions. He told RTÉ Radio One:

We now are in an extremely serious situation. It’s time perhaps to give time to it in terms of an extension and to calm things down ... A no-deal [Brexit] would be devastating for the agri-food industry in Ireland. It would devastate the British economy, and the time for putting politics before the livelihoods of people is long over. There’s a need now to think of businesses, to think of jobs.

29 Mar 201914.56 EDT

Libby Brooks

Nicola Sturgeon has offered further clarity on what her MPs may or may not support on Monday. The SNP are a significant voting bloc at Westminster and, inevitably, there’s much speculation now about whether they could be persuaded to shift their position on some of the indicative vote options. They could, for example, have swung the customs union amendment on Wednesday, had they not abstained.

But while the Scottish Conservatives accused the SNP of hypocrisy in not compromising over that amendment, Sturgeon was quick to point out yesterday that there was nothing in Wednesday’s range of options that met the full continued single market/customs union arrangement put forward as a compromise by the Scottish government in 2016.

And she had further clarified on Twitter this afternoon:

Freedom of movement remains hugely important to the Scottish government, given the unique demographic challenges faced by the country and its heavy reliance on EU nationals, especially in the health and social care workforce.

The Liberal Democrats have accused the government of sneaking out an impact assessment (pdf) that suggests a trade deal between the EU and Vietnam will “increase the welfare of UK households” and boost UK exports to the country by nearly £500m per year.

The party notes that the international trade secretary, Liam Fox, has signed only eight trade deals that will maintain the relationships the UK currently has as an EU member, once it leaves the bloc.

The Lib Dem Brexit spokesman, Tom Brake, has said:

Today, at one minute past 11pm, was supposed to be trade deal day for Liam Fox – the day he would roll over all our EU trade deals.

This was the day when his vision of a buccaneering Britain would reach fruition. We would sign off trade deals worth tens of billions of pounds with countries across the globe.

Unfortunately, his vision has collided with hard reality. Even when he gets the deal signed with Vietnam, the number still remain fewer than 10.

On a day in which the government has witnessed yet another embarrassing defeat of the prime minister’s deal, they have clearly decided today is a good day to bury bad news.

Fox has failed. He should pay the price and walk.

As an EU member, the UK benefits from trade deals that cover more than 70 countries.

Len McCluskey, the general secretary of the Unite trade union, has called for a general election or a free vote in the Commons to break the Brexit impasse. He has said:

Theresa May’s Brexit deal is now dead. It has been rejected by the House of Commons three times. Its demise is testament to the prime minister’s failure to act as a national rather than a party leader. Her efforts to reach out beyond the ranks of the Tory hard right have been too little and too late.

It is now beyond urgent that politicians of all parties agree on a new approach. Uncertainty is costing jobs and investment. Britain’s economic future is being held hostage by political paralysis.

The deadlock can only be broken by a general election or by a free vote across the Commons on the range of options available. On Monday, MPs should agree a new approach based around a customs union between Britain and the EU.

I would very much hope that those MPs in all parties who did not support this commonsense solution to the crisis in this week’s indicative vote will do so in a free vote on Monday.

In particular, I would urge the Scottish National party, supported as it is by many working people in Scotland, to vote to put economic security, jobs and prosperity first.

While those events are going on, it has been confirmed this evening that Vote Leave has dropped its appeal against the Electoral Commission’s finding that it broke the law. The commission says:

Vote Leave has today withdrawn its appeal and related proceedings against the Electoral Commission’s finding of multiple offences under electoral law, committed during the 2016 EU referendum campaign.

Vote Leave was the designated lead campaigner for the leave outcome at the referendum. We found that it broke the electoral rules set out by parliament to ensure fairness, confidence and legitimacy at an electoral event. Serious offences such as these undermine public confidence in our system and it is vital, therefore, that they are properly investigated and sanctioned.

We have been advised that Vote Leave has paid its £61,000 fine and look forward to receiving the sum in full.

In Westminster, where rival pro-Brexit rallies are taking place, the rhetoric is taking an aggressive and somewhat troubling turn, as my colleague Ben Quinn reports:

The Labour MP Lisa Nandy says she has also been subjected to abuse:

The former Ukip leader Nigel Farage has been speaking and it seems he may have drawn some supporters away from the event held by his old party:

To chants of “Nigel, Nigel, Nigel”, Farage said if Britain does not leave without a deal on 12 April and the country takes part in European elections on 23 May, he “will fight them”. He claimed:

And if the worst-case scenario occurs, if they force us to fight a second referendum, we will beat them by a bigger margin than last time.

29 Mar 201913.38 EDT

Andrew Sparrow

The SNP has been criticised for not voting for the customs union amendment during the indicative votes on Wednesday. This tweet from Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, seems to be suggesting the SNP could back the customs union plan next week.

That’s all from me for today.

My colleague Kevin Rawlinson is taking over now.

More from my colleague Ben Quinn, who has been covering the rival pro-Brexit rallies outside the Houses of Parliament.

The Mark Francois jibe seems to have been provoked in particular by a recent comment from James Naughtie (not even a Today presenter any more, but never mind).

Naughtie infuriated Tories in the European Research Group by saying:

Somebody put it to me the other day, look, in any other European country, the Conservative party wouldn’t exist in its current form. The ERG, Jacob Rees-Mogg’s group, in France would be in the National Front because that’s what they believe, and in Germany they’d be in the AfD. It’s only because of our system that the carapace of this party keeps them in, and I think on both sides of the aisle that can’t last.

Naughtie subsequently apologised, saying his words had been ill-chosen.