MPs passed the controversial Brexit Bill by an overwhelming majority last night. The Brexit Bill, allowing Theresa May to begin negotiations on Britain’s exit of the European Union, was passed with 494 votes in favour to 122 against and without any changes.

The Bill was hastily put together after the Supreme Court ruled on 24th January that the government couldn’t trigger Article 50 and begin the UK’s withdrawal from the EU without an act of Parliament. Its passage means Theresa May moves closer to her target of beginning the exit process next month, and that the process will be on her terms.

MPs rejected nine amendments to the bill, including changes to guarantee the rights of EU citizens living in Britain and a Lib Dem amendment seeking a referendum on the final Brexit deal before the withdrawal goes ahead. The Bill will now go before the House of Lords, where a majority of members were against Britain leaving the EU.

After the vote, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the party had demonstrated respect for the result of the EU referendum. Corbyn said, “In recent weeks, Labour has forced the government to reveal what their plan for Brexit actually is. Both from their public statements and the amendments their MPs have voted down, the Conservatives have made clear they are determined to use Brexit to turn Britain into a bargain basement tax haven.

“Labour has a profoundly different vision for our country, with a plan to rebuild and transform Britain so that no one and no community is left behind. Article 50 is just the start of the negotiating process. Labour will be using every opportunity, both in Parliament and in the country, to protect jobs, rights and living standards, and achieve the best possible deal for Britain.”

Even so, Labour frontbencher Clive Lewis quit the shadow cabinet over the vote, following three others including former shadow environment secretary Rachel Maskell, who resigned after the Bill’s second reading last week. Lewis, like Maskell before him, said he was stepping down to vote against the Bill in line with the wishes of his constituents in Norwich. In all, 52 Labour MPs defied Jeremy Corbyn’s three line whip and voted against the bill - more than in last week’s vote.

Reacting to the vote on Monday, Green Party MEPs poured scorn on Labour MPs who didn’t manage to force through amendments to oppose Theresa May’s plans for a ‘hard Brexit’.

South-West MEP Molly Scott Cato said, “I am delighted that 122 MPs voted against the Brexit bill. With Labour, Lib Dem, SNP, and Plaid Cymru MPs joining Green MP Caroline Lucas to reject the Bill unamended, we have seen a progressive alliance against the government’s plans for an extreme Brexit. However, while the government is moving us towards the hard Brexit cliff edge, it is Labour that seems willing to push us off. The Party has shown itself hopelessly divided and the failure to oppose the government on this the most critical of issues has played straight into the hands of the Tory Right.

The South-West MEP said the Bill as it stands “Threatens to turn [the UK] into Europe’s biggest tax haven” and added, “We need clear guarantees on worker and consumer rights and assurances there will be no weakening of environmental protections.”

Keith Taylor, MEP for the South-East  added, “The Government has confirmed that it will only offer MPs a Hobson’s choice: the UK either leaves the single market and negotiates a new deal with the EU or ends up with no deal at all, in which case the Government promises to make the country a tax haven outside Europe.

“I know we can do better than this. Which is why I am fighting in the courts for the British people to be given the choice they are being denied. The EU referendum should have been the start of a democratic process, not the end of one. As Greens, we believe the British people should have the final say on the Brexit deal, once it is clear what the outcome of the negotiations are.”