Drinks in the Red Lion pub... then Diane Abbott gets a 'migraine' and misses crucial Brexit vote: Labour frontbencher faces call to resign and gets little sympathy on social media as #prayfordiane trends

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Diane Abbott faces calls to resign after pictures emerged of her in the pub with colleagues and other Labour MPs the night before missing the historic Brexit vote with 'a migraine'. 

Labour MPs lampooned the shadow home secretary for 'pulling a sickie' after she failed to take part in the key division to authorise Article 50 - despite Jeremy Corbyn imposing a three-line whip.

Some backbenchers were circulating the ironic hashtag #PrayForDiane saying they were 'very worried' about her after she claimed to have a migraine.

She was in Westminster all day and gave an animated speech to MPs at just before 4pm but failed to take part in a series of crucial votes in the Commons from 7pm.

One furious Labour backbencher told MailOnline that 'no-one believes she was ill', adding at least two MPs undergoing cancer treatment had managed to vote. 

Pub night: Diane Abbot (second left) in the Red Lion near Downing Street with, from left, Shami Chakrabarti, an unknown male colleague and Emily Thornberry

Diane Abbott, file picture with Jeremy Corbyn, faced questions from furious Labour colleagues today after she missed the historic vote on starting Brexit talks

3.39pm: Ms Abbott was in Parliament for a Westminster Hall debate, pictured, and gave an animated speech just three hours before missing the historic votes in the Commons

Criticism: Some have accused of her of 'pulling a sickie' to avoid voting against Jeremy Corbyn

And separately John Mann MP said Ms Abbott may have 'bottled' the situation.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell insisted today that Ms Abbott 'wasn't very well' when asked whether she had the 'Brexit flu' because she could not bring herself to support the Bill.

Ms Abbott herself refused to get out of her car when reporters tried to ask her questions tonight. 

Labour MPs were under orders from Jeremy Corbyn to back the Bill and four shadow ministers - including three from the shadow cabinet - quit posts to oppose the law. 

But Ms Abbott, one of the Labour leader's closest allies, was taken ill at around 5pm and had to head home to Hackney just after giving an animated speech in Westminster Hall.

At 6pm she tweeted about her column in the left-wing Morning Star newspaper.

Sources close to Ms Abbott said her diary has now been cleared for the rest of the week because she is so unwell. Her appearance at a party fundraiser in Tottenham has been cancelled tonight. 

It appears the migraine came on quickly after her Westminster Hall speech yesterday afternoon. She is not expected back in Westminster until Monday.

Just 15 Labour MPs failed to make it into the Commons division lobbies for the three votes, including the historic vote in principle on changing the law to allow Theresa May to start Brexit.

Today a Labour MP pointed out that Shadow communities Secretary Grahame Morris and Ronnie Campbell had both voted despite recently undergoing cancer treatment.

The unnamed politician told MailOnline: 'No-one believes she was ill. People who are seriously ill came down and voted and she went AWOL.

'She didn't have the balls to vote for the Bill. People are very angry at her. Others have resigned, but she won't because she is a mate of Jeremy's.'

'It's exactly what you expect from them. It is one rule for Corbyn's mates and another for everyone else.' 

Mr Mann suggested Ms Abbott had been feeling the pressure of her local party in Hackney North and Stoke Newington, who came within two votes of urging her to vote against the Bill.

'She gave herself a sick note at 5 o'clock,' he said. 'I think we all know what is going on here. She bottled the vote.

'You don't abstain on the big votes. And it's embarrassing to see that. She ought to be giving an apology to the Labour party for doing so. That is not leadership, that's cowardice.'

He added: 'She thought she could get away from it. Others have the integrity to resign from the shadow cabinet.

Ms Abbott was in Westminster at 3.39pm when she made a speech in a Westminster Hall on the Prevent counter-extremism strategy 

'I think she should apologise to the party for her actions and she should resign'.

According to Politico, one MP has been circulating an ironic email to fellow backbenchers that says: 'I'm very worried about Diane's illness and I know many colleagues will share my concern.

'Can we organize a PLP collection for flowers? I've tried to get colleagues to donate informally, but I've only raised 64p and can only think this is because they are too traumatized and worried to focus on it properly at the moment.

'I want to get #PrayForDiane trending on twitter.' 

The shadow home secretary then issued a tweet at 6.02pm promoting a column in the Morning Star

Ms Abbott missed the series of historic votes on starting the Brexit talks from 7pm in the Commons, pictured 

Ms Abbott appeared to speak in Westminster Hall at 3.39pm, leading for Labour in a debate on the Prevent counter-extremism strategy.

And she issued a series of tweets during the afternoon, including one at 6.02pm about a column she had written for the Morning Star.

A source close to Ms Abbott said: 'Diane was in Westminster all day and was planning on staying and voting, she even spoke in a Westminster Hall debate. 

'She informed us that she had to go back to Hackney at about 5 due to migraines.

'We've cancelled her plans for the next couple of days and expect her to be back by Monday.' 

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell denied Ms Abbott was suffering from a case of 'Brexit flu' because she could not bring herself to support the Bill.

'She wasn't very well. There wasn't going to be a close vote.

'If there was a close vote we'd be bringing even sick people back,' he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.