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Saturday's Brexit votes in Parliament: What's going on? | |
(about 16 hours later) | |
Parliament is sitting on a Saturday for the first time in 37 years to debate and vote on Boris Johnson's Brexit deal - here is what to expect. | Parliament is sitting on a Saturday for the first time in 37 years to debate and vote on Boris Johnson's Brexit deal - here is what to expect. |
What is happening? | |
MPs began their special session at just after 09:30 BST. We don't know what time they will finish amid uncertainty over the votes. | |
Peers sit a little later at 10:00 and are due to finish at 15:00. | Peers sit a little later at 10:00 and are due to finish at 15:00. |
Commons proceedings got under way with a statement from Prime Minister Boris Johnson and a response from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. | |
The prime minister is expected to take questions on his Brexit deal from MPs for a couple of hours before the main debate gets under way. | |
What time will voting get under way? | |
It's likely to begin after 14:30 but the timings have yet to be announced. | |
There could be up to four votes - or no votes at all. | |
Commons Speaker John Bercow has selected two amendments to be voted on by MPs. | |
They are: | |
The first vote will be on the Letwin amendment, if it is moved. | |
This could be followed by a vote on the main government motion - whether or not to back the deal. | |
The government does not want this vote to happen if MPs back the Letwin amendment, as it could delay Brexit. | |
It is not clear at this stage how they would prevent the vote happening - it's possible Tory MPs could abstain - but the motion has already been tabled. | |
If it does take place, and MPs reject the deal, we could then move to votes on a second government motion on whether or not there should be a no-deal Brexit. | |
Before a vote takes place on that, MPs could get a chance to vote on the cross-party amendment rejecting a no-deal Brexit and seeking another referendum. | |
MPs would then vote for a fourth time on the government no-deal motion. We know there is a majority in the Commons against a no-deal Brexit, so this would be unlikely to pass. | |
Regardless of what happens on Saturday, the government has said it plans to push ahead with the legislation enacting the treaty agreed by Boris Johnson in Brussels - the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. | |
They plan to hold the second reading of that bill on Tuesday, which would give MPs a chance to register their support - or not - for Boris Johnson's Brexit deal. | |
What happens if MPs vote for the deal? | |
If the government motion is passed by MPs without being amended, it will just be the first stage of getting the deal into law. | |
The government is likely to want to move quickly so it can meet Boris Johnson's 31 October deadline. | |
The Withdrawal Amendment Bill, which implements the legally-binding treaty, will be presented to Parliament early next week - something the government now plans whatever happens in Parliament on Saturday. | |
How can you follow the debate? | How can you follow the debate? |
You can find out the latest developments on the BBC News website and app, where we'll have live coverage in text and video, and analysis from our experts. | |
There will also be coverage on BBC One from 09:00 to 13:15, BBC Two from 13:15 to 16:30, and continuous coverage on the BBC News Channel. | There will also be coverage on BBC One from 09:00 to 13:15, BBC Two from 13:15 to 16:30, and continuous coverage on the BBC News Channel. |
There will also be extended editions of BBC News at Six and News at Ten, as well as a special edition of BBC Newsnight. | There will also be extended editions of BBC News at Six and News at Ten, as well as a special edition of BBC Newsnight. |
Why is the Letwin amendment significant? | Why is the Letwin amendment significant? |
The latest gambit by the alliance of MPs around Sir Oliver Letwin looks like a real problem for the government whips, writes our parliamentary correspondent Mark D'Arcy. | The latest gambit by the alliance of MPs around Sir Oliver Letwin looks like a real problem for the government whips, writes our parliamentary correspondent Mark D'Arcy. |
The lesson of the Brexit battles so far is that it is the cross-party amendments and motions that are the most dangerous. | The lesson of the Brexit battles so far is that it is the cross-party amendments and motions that are the most dangerous. |
Single-party proposals are mostly efforts to signal a position, it's the proposals that MPs from several parties can sign up to that pose a more serious threat. | Single-party proposals are mostly efforts to signal a position, it's the proposals that MPs from several parties can sign up to that pose a more serious threat. |
It's a cunningly crafted proposition which, crucially, could be voted for by MPs who want a deal, but don't trust this one, and don't trust the government. | It's a cunningly crafted proposition which, crucially, could be voted for by MPs who want a deal, but don't trust this one, and don't trust the government. |
It rests on the idea that were Parliament to approve the deal for the purposes of the Benn Act now, there might then be a danger that the subsequent legislation to enact it might be, somehow, derailed, resulting in a no-deal exit on 31 October. | It rests on the idea that were Parliament to approve the deal for the purposes of the Benn Act now, there might then be a danger that the subsequent legislation to enact it might be, somehow, derailed, resulting in a no-deal exit on 31 October. |
Read Mark's full blog | Read Mark's full blog |