How has the EU reacted to Theresa May’s latest defeat in the Commons?

Analysis: The EU is reluctant to comment officially on the PM’s setback, but as Ashley Cowburn explains, it’s possible to guess their view

Theresa May leaves from the rear of 10 Downing Street (AFP)

A fortnight ago, Theresa May claimed to have received a "substantial and sustainable" mandate to renegotiate her deal with Brussels after she – perhaps unusually – won a vote in the Commons on a government-backed plan.

On Valentine's Day, however, the fragile sense of Tory unity was once more shattered as a bloc of Conservative Brexiteers – the European Research Group – decided to abstain, delivering a humiliating defeat for the prime minister in the House of Commons.

Her motion seeking to reiterate the chamber's support for the approach to leaving the EU expressed on 29 January was resoundingly rejected by 45 votes – 303 to 258.