Brexit ding-dong followed Brexit ding-dong as Westminster continued the psychodrama

She was talking about the Salmond row but, of course, it applied as much to the Brexit crisis.

Ms Sturgeon accused Theresa May of "deluding herself” by maintaining all the red lines the Prime Minister had before she suffered that excoriating 230-majority defeat.

Read more: Alison Rowat: How Brexit may yet turn into the Beast from the East

The FM was also hopeful Labour losing the confidence vote would “take away Jeremy Corbyn’s excuse for continuing to sitting on the fence” over backing a People’s Vote. Indeed at another photocall around the corner, 71 Labour MPs broke ranks with the party leadership and turned up for the cameras to urge the chief comrade to back a People’s Vote.

Inside the Commons, things were hotting up Brexitwise.

David Mundell was at the dispatch box for Scottish Questions, telling MPs that it had been a “momentous week…for Andy Murray.”

As the Scottish Secretary praised the tennis star’s “resilience and courage,” the Commons Speaker nodded along and couldn’t resist, as a tennis aficionado, to chip in, insisting: “He(Sir Andy not Mr Mundell) is the embodiment of guts and character.”

The Secretary of State came under the usual Nationalist barrage with SNP MP Tommy Sheppard saying his fingerprints were all over the Brexit vote humiliation and accused him of “being out of step with opinion in Scotland at every level”. He must resign.

The minister insisted the resign barb was getting “a bit tired,” and said Scotland could see how the Nationalists had “weaponised” Brexit to get so-called indyref2.

One Brexit ding-dong followed another.

Read more: Theresa May lives to fight another day as government survives confidence vote

At PMQs, Jeremy Corbyn got his attack in early, telling MPs: “Last night, I suggested this was the largest Government defeat since the 1920s. I would not wish to be accused of misleading the House, because I have since been informed it is in fact the largest ever defeat for a Government in the history of our democracy.”

The Labour leader pressed the PM on her “reaching-out” exercise, which many suspect involves just her own party and the Democratic Unionists.

He questioned whether she had ruled out any form of customs union, suggesting she was “in denial” about the need for one.

The PM glowered back and stood up to make a key point that she would continue to make throughout the day: yes, we want to be constructive but we will do nothing to undermine the 2016 vote, so that means getting trade deals, which a customs union would prevent.

As the SNP leader Ian Blackford noted Plan B appeared to simply be a “redressing of Plan A,” Mrs May insisted she was interested in asking the question: “What is it?” It being the means to secure a parliamentary majority.

Interestingly, outside the chamber David Gauke, the Justice Secretary, was the first minister to suggest what “it” might be.

While he made clear the right answer was to leave the customs union, he then noted: “But given where we are, we have to be open to proposals that are put forward and make an assessment on those numbers.”

In a further twist, Mr Corbyn’s spokesman suggested backing a customs union with the EU would be “a game-changer” in securing a Plan B to command the support of MPs.

Yet Downing St was adamant: a/the customs union would prevent Britain signing its own trade deals; a key pillar of the Brexit vote.

Later, the third part of the ritual ding-dong continued with the confidence vote debate as Mr Corbyn and Mrs May engaged in a rhetorical duel.

The Labour leader branded Mrs May’s administration a "zombie Government"; her Brexit offer was a "Frankenstein deal," which was “officially dead".

The PM snapped back: “What he has done to his party is a national tragedy. What he would do to our country would be a national calamity.”

The perorations also raised the temperature.

Labour’s Tom Watson, to Mrs May shaking her head, expressed personal sympathy for her plight but noted: “You cannot confuse pity for political legitimacy.”

The deputy leader said the PM was incapable of getting a deal through. “The members on the opposite benches know it. They know we know they know it; the country knows it…That is why we need a general election.”

For the Government, Michael Gove patronised his opponent, saying Mr Watson’s speech was good but did not rise to the occasion and the Scot went on a barnstorming barrage, making fun of all the opposition parties to great Conservative mirth.

He saved the best for his old Coalition chums, the Liberal Democrats.

He noted how Sir Vince Cable had said he regretted the referendum yet the yellow peril were the first party to insist the country should have one.

“Not the policy of Gladstone or Lloyd George but one of Vicky Pollard: “Yeah but no but yeah but no”. Even the Maybot was giggling at that one.

After the loud roar signified the Tory Government had won the vote, the PM offered tea and talks in No 10 with the leaders of the opposing parties.

But Labour HQ made clear Mr Corbyn would not hold substantive talks until she took a no-deal off the table; it was “blackmail,” Labour declared, insisting the way forward was a general election.

Meaning another confidence vote could be just around the corner. In other words, there is no end in sight to the country’s insufferable Brexit psychodrama.