THE vote on Tuesday evening to comprehensively reject the deal the Prime Minister negotiated with the EU was the main event in Parliament. At the time of going to press, the Prime Minister will now face a no confidence vote, tabled by the Leader of the Opposition, which she is expected to win. Subsequently she has indicated her intention to listen to the range of views across the whole House of Commons to seek a consensus on the way forward.

The main challenge is that there are many schemes and ideas for how to resolve the impasse but little consensus on a single solution. Some seek another public vote, some seek Canada+++, some the Norway model, another group seek to rule out no deal, while others favour membership of the Customs Union. Never in my nine years in Parliament have I seen such a complex situation.

It is now incumbent on all MPs to think about the implications of resisting the will of the people. In Salisbury, a narrow majority of those who chose to exercise their right to vote in the 2016 referendum decided to leave the EU. My view was to support the Prime Minister’s deal as the best way of exiting the bloc in a way which minimised the negative consequences for the economy, but on Tuesday evening, the House of Commons clearly disagreed with the deal that had been negotiated.

We are now in uncharted territory, but a rapid solution is required to bring certainty to those who employ workers and to those who work to provide public services. Colleagues will need to make compromises but be mindful of the further risks to maintaining any level of confidence in democracy if there is an attempt to ignore the outcome of the referendum.

However, those who have a hitherto uncompromising single view on how to leave the EU also need to reflect on the division that exists across the country and the imperative to seek an outcome which unites the country. I will continue to listen carefully to constituents and seek to find a solution that will find the maximum chance of bringing our divided country together.