Harmony reigned as he denied being a revolutionary.
The Prime Minister seemed to imply that if MPs will not bend to her will, she is off.
By longstanding convention the Speaker casts his vote for the status quo. But would he?
Halfon and Stevenson join the Europhile ultras in a very near miss for the Government.
Two of them, Sarah Newton and Paul Masterton, were members of the Government, and have resigned.
Several Ministers helped to see off the Government’s best hope of avoiding a full-on crisis in the Party – and perhaps of saving Brexit too.
There aren’t any surprises here, although on a grim night the Government at least appear to have talked two of its original signatories out of backing it.
“We’re having to be engaged in this because our duty is governance – our duty is the medium and longer term.”
“Everything really depends on whether either of the two major parties, the Conservatives or the Labour Party, can put themselves back together.
No less than the ERG, the group of three sees everything through the prism of Brexit – which, let it not be forgotten, they voted to support themselves.
But neither she nor Lidington sounded as if they expect Brexit to end in disaster.
In the night’s only defeat for the Government, it passed by 318 votes to 310 – and with the largest rebellion from Conservative MPs.
Despite their support, the amendment fell by 322 to 290 votes.
Freeman joins the rebellion. But the amendment fell by 321 to 298.