Below you will find comments from business people - and Gloucester MP and trade envoy, Richard Graham - reflecting on last night's 'meaningful vote' on the withdrawal from the EU deal for the UK.

First comes a piece from Phil Smith, managing director at Business West.

"There are no more words to describe the frustration, impatience, and growing anger among business after two and a half years on a high-stakes political rollercoaster ride that shows no sign of stopping," said Mr Smith.

"Basic questions on real-world operational issues remain unanswered, and firms now find themselves facing the unwelcome prospect of a messy and disorderly exit from the EU on March 29th.

"The overriding priority for both government and Parliament must now be to avoid the clear danger that a 'no deal' exit on the 29th of March would pose to businesses and communities across the UK.

"Every second that ticks by sees more businesses spending money on unwanted changes, activating contingency plans or battening down the hatches and halting investment, as they try to anticipate a future that is no clearer now than it was at the time of the referendum result.

"Businesses will take a dim view of more shuttle diplomacy and last-minute bargaining, which have so far done nothing to end the political impasse.

"The government must now urgently set out in concrete terms what it will do to avoid the damage that a messy and disorderly exit on March 29th would cause to businesses, communities, and the UK economy."

Ian Mean, a director of Business West in Gloucestershire.

Exasperated and let down by Government is sadly the conclusion of business today following the government's Brexit withdrawal last night being voted down in what can only be described as a totally humiliating defeat for the Prime Minister, writes Ian Mean.

And added to the historic defeat-the biggest in modern parliamentary history-some of our major firms, including Tesco and Amazon, really vented their anger at the result of the meaningful vote when they got a conference call from Chancellor, Philip Hammond afterwards.

We agree with them.

After two and a half years of negotiation with the EU, it now looks certain that in the word of The Sun today, Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal deal is Dead as a Dodo.

Our own Dr Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce of which Business West is a major player, put it bluntly after Mrs May's humiliating defeat.

"There are no more words to describe the frustration, impatience and growing anger amongst business after two and a half years on a high-stakes political rollercoaster ride that shows no sign of stopping," said Dr Marshall.

"Basic questions of real-world operational issues remain unanswered, and firms now find themselves facing the unwelcome prospect of a messy and disorderly exit from the EU on March 29."

I couldn't agree more talking to firms here in Gloucestershire. The Government has left them floundering in a sea of Brexit uncertainty with little clarity.

Business West has been inundated with basic questions from businesses worried over Brexit and we have been trying to answer them with our Trading Through Brexit service.

Now, with just 73 days to go before we are due to leave the EU, the big question business is today asking: Where do we go now?

In my view, Article 50 may have to be extended beyond March 29.

Mrs May has to come up with another withdrawal plan by Monday that can get some sort of agreement in the Commons.

With one in three of her Tory MPS voting against her deal-just 119 of them-getting any agreement quickly looks impossible.

Without a doubt, what Boris Johnson said after the vote could be a big hurdle—getting rid of the Northern Ireland backstop.

Again, that would seem highly unlikely to be agreed by the EU.

So, there is now the chilling prospect of No Deal or No Brexit at all staring business in the face.

The EU said after the Commons vote they were still waiting to know exactly what Brexit path the UK wants to take.

And on top of that, Mrs May today faces a no confidence vote in her government.

She will almost certainly win that vote but the disastrous defeat of her Brexit deal now puts a question mark over her future and the whole future of the Tory government.

It's 73 days and counting...

Anthony Poeton, chairman of Poeton Industries Ltd, Gloucester, said: "A disappointing result last night as there is still no resolution to our Brexit situation which continues to appear chaotic to everyone in our country and other nations, far and wide.

"MPs must get their act together to resolve this situation.

"MPs must focus on the changes they want to make and get them agreed so that the government can target the EU with the necessary changes.

"The good news is that all parties want to avoid a No Deal Brexit, which was not the case before Christmas.

An improved deal should be beneficial, but it needs to be fast.

"It's frustrating there will now be another no-confidence vote which will waste time as another week goes by.

"MPs must keep up the tempo, as a result needs to be determined in days not weeks or months.

"I remain delighted that Gloucester's MP Richard Graham, is working hard to help find a solution."

Richard Graham, MP for Gloucester.

"The defeat of the government's sensible deal with the EU showed the depth of divisions among MPs - mirroring those of the country as a whole - about our relationship with the EU.

"But we must respect the result of the Referendum and that means MPs deciding what they will support, if it isn't this deal.

"On Monday I expect the House of Commons to agree a way for the House to have indicative votes on a series of options.

"The likely result of this will be a soft Brexit that involves continued membership of the Customs Union and closer links with the EU than our Deal envisaged: and I cannot see the House supporting 'no deal'.

"But it is still possible that we end up with either a second referendum or revoking Article 50 altogether - either of which will raise huge questions for trust in democracy or government.

"From a business point of view a soft Brexit would mean continuity of current trading arrangements and regulations, and so I would expect currency and market reactions to reflect that.

"But politics is now more volatile. Balancing respecting the result of the referendum without causing inadvertent damage to business and lives remain my goals. They've just got a lot harder, but it is the duty of all of us to find a solution."