When MPs filed through the division lobbies to deliver their verdict on Theresa May ‘s latest Brexit plan it was the climax of the most dramatic 24 hours yet for Brexit.

A last-ditch, cross-Channel dash to France for crisis talks, a late-night press conference, a tense showdown with Tory MPs, and a devastating legal opinion from the Government’s top law officer fuelled the turmoil gripping British politics.

The Prime Minister spent part of Monday afternoon in the sanctuary of Westminster Abbey attending a service to mark Commonwealth Day.

Back in No10, officials were hastily drawing-up plans to fly her to Strasbourg for emergency negotiations with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

At RAF Northolt in north-west London, troops were preparing a BAe146 plane from No32 (The Royal) Squadron, The Queen’s Flight, for imminent departure.

Swept from the Abbey in her armoured Jaguar XJL and escorted by four motorcycle outriders, diabetic Mrs May could have been forgiven for reaching for the stash of Jelly Babies and other sweets stuffed into the back pocket of a front seat of the bomb-proof limousine, stored there to boost her blood sugar levels.

After a quick change of clothes in No10, the PM’s blue-light convoy raced through the capital’s windy streets on its 15-mile journey along the A40 to Northolt where, on the runway, her jet was ready for the 400-mile sortie to the French border city.

Less than an hour later, the Tory chief was meeting Mr Juncker to sign off what Mrs May hoped would be the clinching revision to get her deal through Parliament.

At 10pm, her de facto deputy David Lidington stood at the Commons Despatch Box to tell MPs legally binding changes to the Withdrawal Agreement had been won.

Back in Strasbourg, weary Mrs May – her voice struggling as it did during the run-up to her disastrous 2017 party conference speech – and Mr Juncker sat behind a desk to face the Press and deliver the fruits of their negotiating teams’ labours.

“Today we have secured legal changes,” claimed the PM, whose original pact suffered a crushing 230-vote defeat in January.

“Now is the time to come together, to back this improved Brexit deal, and to deliver on the instruction of the British people.”

Insisting the revision was final, exasperated Mr Juncker added: “There will be no new negotiations. It is this.”

Mrs May was whisked back to the airport and returned to London, steeling herself for the difficult day ahead.

At 8.30am she held her daily meeting with her closest advisers.

Thirty minutes later, the European Research Group’s eight lawyers began poring over the new deal to decide if they could back it.

Meanwhile, Mrs May hosted the weekly meeting of her top ministers in Downing Street from 9.30am.

“Cabinet gave its backing to the agreement and stressed the huge importance of the meaningful vote passing this evening,” the PM’s spokesman said later.

Mrs May thanked Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox for their hard work, closing the meeting of senior ministers by saying, ominously: “Today is the day.”

But any hope she may have had of unlikely victory was extinguished at 11am when Mr Cox dropped a bombshell on the PM’s chances of success.

The celebrated QC’s three-page legal advice to Mrs May contained 19 paragraphs.

The final one drove a stake into the heart of her revamped pact.

According to the Attorney’s letter, the “legal risk” of the UK being unable to leave the Irish Backstop – designed to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic if the UK and EU cannot agree terms of a future trade deal – “remains unchanged”.

Half an hour later, Mrs May appeared before her harshest Brexit critics – the Conservatives’ 1922 Backbench Committee.

Flanked by her bodyguards, the PM walked a gauntlet of journalists before entering the Attlee Room at Portcullis House.

Inside the secret meeting, she pleaded with Tory MPs not to torpedo her deal.

One backbencher cheered Mrs May, telling her: “You haven’t quite pulled a rabbit out of the hat, but you’ve pulled out a hamster and that’s good enough for me.”

Building up the sense of theatre, MP George Freeman said later: “You can hear the collective sound of collective pennies dropping as to just how serious this is.”

Ministers also attempted to put a positive spin on the PM’s chances.

Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd said: “I think she’ll win tonight. I think we’ll all win tonight.”

Asked if he thought the deal would get through, Environment Secretary Michael Gove said simply: “Yes.”

At the same time, Brexit Secretary Mr Barclay was being grilled by the Commons Brexit Committee, admitting the UK’s departure could be delayed beyond March 29.

“There may be the need for a technical extension,” he confessed.

At 1.05pm the ERG dealt a fresh blow to the PM’s hopes of passing her deal, declaring it could not support it.

Just a minute later, the Democratic Unionist Party’s Westminster leader, Nigel Dodds, confirmed his party – on whom the PM relies for her Commons majority – would not back it.

At 2.03pm, the PM, watched from the Commons gallery by devoted husband Philip, got to her feet to open the second meaningful vote debate.

Croaking at the beginning of her speech, she brought back memories of the Manchester conference debacle.

“Not again!”, shouted an Opposition MP.

Mrs May, popping throat sweets from a blister pack, hit back: “You might say that but you should hear Jean-Claude Juncker’s voice after our talks.”

Urging the Commons to get behind her plan, she hailed an “improved Brexit deal” which “deserves the support of every Member this evening”.

And, warning Leavers they would jeopardise withdrawal if they voted against her plan, she said: “The danger for those of us who want to have faith in the British public and deliver on their vote for Brexit, is that if this vote is not passed tonight, if this deal is not passed, then Brexit could be lost.”

There are more dramatic days to come in the Brexit saga.

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