Rebelling against the Government won’t have made South Cambridgeshire’s MP many friends in her own party, but it seems Heidi Allen has at least earned some fans on social media.
Last night the Tory MP was one of 11 Conservatives to vote for a debate in parliament on the final terms of the Government’s final Brexit deal with the EU.
In doing so she helped deliver Theresa May her first parliamentary defeat as Prime Minister, following a marginal victory of 309 to 305.
Despite a backlash from so-called ‘hard Brexiteers’, and a front page in the Daily Mail declaring her a “self-contained malcontent”, Mrs Allen’s decision has gone down well with supporters online.
'You deserve the praise and respect you are receiving'
After the vote was taken, Ms Allen tweeted: “So....... Amendment 7 is go!”
While there were many on Twitter who sought to criticise her decision, many more expressed support for the vote, citing South Cambridgeshire's 60.19 per cent vote to remain.
But being Twitter, obviously not everyone agreed.
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What was the row all about?
The furious row exploded over an amendment to the Government’s flagship EU (Withdrawal) Bill which exposed the Tories’ civil war.
The Government had planned to make parts of Britain’s final withdrawal deal law using so-called ‘Henry VIII’ powers soon after it was struck.
But former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, who penned the amendment, said MPs must approve the final deal in a full Act of Parliament before it becomes UK law.
In a dramatic climbdown just minutes before the vote, Justice Minister Dominic Raab promised not to use any ‘Henry VIII’ clauses until MPs had a meaningful vote.
How will Brexit affect Cambridge?
The rebel MPs also included Huntingdon’s Jonathan Djanogly, who was also a remainer in last year’s EU referendum.
The defiance from the Commons over the Prime Minister's wishes comes just a day before she jets off to Brussels to meet 27 EU leaders.
They are set to sign off on the first-round deal she struck with the EU Commission on citizens’ rights, Northern Ireland and the divorce bill on Friday.
Heidi Allen was recently in the news for crying in the House of Commons after fellow MP Frank Field told a harrowing story.
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