Senior Conservatives have signalled they are not prepared to support a no-deal Brexit as they inflicted a defeat on the government in Parliament. MPs backed an amendment to the Finance Bill, which would limit the scope for tax changes following a no deal unless authorised by MPs, by 303 to 296 votes. Twenty Tories rebelled and, while its practical effect will be limited, Labour said it was an "important step". But Brexiteers said the UK would leave the EU on 29 March, come what may. Before the vote, No 10 said a defeat would be "inconvenient rather than significant", with experts pointing out there were other mechanisms available to government to raise money. Former cabinet ministers Michael Fallon, Justine Greening, Dominic Grieve, Ken Clarke and Sir Oliver Letwinwere among the 20 Conservative MPs who defied the government by backing a cross-party amendment tabled by Yvette Cooper. Live: MPs debate Finance BillReality Check: Can Parliament stop a no-deal Brexit?Ministers speak out against no-deal BrexitSir Oliver, a government loyalist who has never previously rebelled over Brexit, said he wanted to send a message to opponents of Theresa May's Brexit deal, to be voted on next week. "I want to make it abundantly clear to my honourable friends who are voting against the prime minister's deal, which I shall be supporting, that the majority in this House will not allow a no-deal exit to occur on the 29 March. "I will continue to do so right up to the end of March, in the hope that we can put pay to this disastrous proposal." Mr Corbyn hailed the development as an "important step" towards preventing a no-deal Brexit. The Labour leader tweeted: "It shows that there is no majority in Parliament, the cabinet or the country for crashing out of the EU without an agreement." AnalysisBy Vicki Young, BBC chief political correspondent Downing Street was saying earlier that this would not be catastrophic if it was voted through, as it was a minor issue when it came to tax powers if there was a no-deal scenario. What this is about is Parliament saying to the government "we can control this process" if it comes to it. Opponents of a no-deal Brexit will say this shows they have the numbers to stop the government going down that path, although that will be argued against by the Brexiteers. It also shows the difficulty that Theresa May has when it comes to legislation because she does not have a working majority. Her arrangement with the DUP meant she was supposed to have a majority but if there are enough Conservative MPs willing to go against their own government, that disappears. The prime minister could try to turn this around and say to the Brexiteers "you are jeopardising Brexit from happening at all" because there is not a majority for a no-deal Brexit in the Commons. If you are trying to look for a bright side for the government, that is probably it. The setback, the government's sixth Commons defeat since July 2017, comes as MPs prepare to resume debate on Wednesday on the PM's proposed Brexit deal, culminating in a vote next week. It also comes at the end of a day in which senior ministers spoke out about the risks of exiting the EU without any agreement on the terms of withdrawal. Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd told the cabinet that the public would take a "dim view" of government if it settled for a disorderly Brexit and suggested it would make the UK less safe. And Business Secretary Greg Clark said such an outcome "could not be contemplated". AFP.