May narrowly avoids defeat as Queen's Speech passes the Commons

Tonight’s vote marked a crucial milestone for the embattled Prime Minister, who just three weeks ago was waking up to the fact that a snap election gamble had lost her a majority.

But the victory came at a price, with the Government forced to make a last-minute concession on access to abortions in order to avoid defeat at the hands of Labour.

It also laid bare the extent to which Mrs May’s grip on Parliament has been reduced, after the legislation was passed by just 14 votes.

The last few weeks have seen fierce speculation about the possibility of a defeat on the speech, as talks to secure a confidence and supply deal with the DUP dragged on.

Opposition MPs moved to take advantage of Mrs May’s depleted numbers, with the Labour frontbenches tabling an amendment setting out an “alternative” Queen’s Speech.

However, it was a motion tabled by the Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy – calling on the Government to improve access to abortions for Northern Irish women – that proved the biggest threat to Mrs May’s authority, with ministers offering a last minute concession to provide additional funding for their treatment.

Responding to the news, Ms Creasy said it sent “a message to women everywhere that... their voices will be heard and their rights upheld”.

The vote also threw up fresh challenges for the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, after 49 MPs defied the party whip and backed an amendment calling for the UK to remain a member of the European single market.

The motion, tabled by the Streatham MP Chuka Umunna, contradicts Labour’s official Brexit policy, and is an indication of ongoing tensions within the party.

In a marked change from his response to the Article 50 vote, Mr Corbyn was tonight reported to have sacked a number of rebels from the frontbenches.

This included the shadow justice minister Andy Slaughter and shadow foreign minister Catherine West, while shadow transport minister Daniel Zeichner is understood to have resigned,

Tory MP James Cleverly pointed to the rebellion as proof of a party “in total chaos”. “There is deep division at the heart of the Labour Party on the most crucial issue facing the country today – they still can’t agree on the fundamentals and would get the worst Brexit deal at the highest price,” he said.

But speaking after the vote, Mr Corbyn argued it was the Consveratives who were “all over the place on Brexit”. “The Conservatives survived by the skin of their teeth today, supported by the DUP, but this is a government in chaos,” he said.

The speech was passed by a total of 323 votes to 309.