What the papers say – December 5

A day of defeats for Theresa May as she battles to save her Brexit deal dominates the front pages on Wednesday.

The Daily Mail describes how Brexit is “on a knife edge” after the Prime Minister suffered three historic Commons defeats.

The triple blow took place over just 63 minutes, the Daily Mirror says, as the paper reports that Mrs May looked to be losing control of her Brexit strategy.

The Daily Telegraph describes it in similar words, running with the headline: “The day May lost control.”

The paper says Mrs May suffered humiliation on a historic scale.

One of the votes meant the Government was found in contempt of Parliament for refusing to publish the full legal advice on the Withdrawal Agreement, the Metro reports.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer called the defeat a “badge of shame” for the Government, The Guardian says.

The i reports that another vote meant the Commons will now get a say on ‘plan B’ if Mrs May’s deal is rejected.

The Financial Times says the vote raises the prospect of a second referendum or Norway-style membership of the European Free Trade Association, with a majority of MPs against the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

The Independent reports that the push to give the people a final say on Brexit took a step forward.

Meanwhile, the Daily Express calls it a “devastating day for British politics”, running with the headline: “Sabotage Brexit at your peril!”

In other news, The Times leads with an interview with Matthew Hedges, the British academic who was jailed in the United Arab Emirates after being accused of spying.

And The Sun reports that a model claims she was drugged and sexually assaulted in a celebrity nightclub as a group filmed the attack.