C) Customs union
AYES: 273 NOES: 276 Majority: 3
Proposed by veteran Tory europhile Ken Clarke with support from some Labour backbenchers and a few Tory Remainers, this demands that any Brexit deal should include, as a minimum, a commitment to negotiate a “permanent and comprehensive UK-wide customs union with the EU”. It had been rejected last week by 272 votes to 264. Voting in favour: 37 Conservatives, 230 Labour MPs, 1 Liberal Democrat and 5 Independents Voting against: 236 Conservatives, 10 Labour MPs, 5 Liberal Democrats, all 11 TIG MPs, all 10 DUP MPs, the 1 Green MP and 3 Independents Among the 37 Conservatives voting in favour (despite the Conservative manifesto explicitly opposing Customs Union membership) were 9 ministers: Robert Buckland, Alan Duncan, Tobias Ellwood, Mark Field, Stephen Hammond, Margot James, Anne Milton, Guy Opperman and Rory Stewart.