British MPs fail to agree alternative Brexit plan – live updates

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After an eventful day, where MPs spent hours debating alternative Brexit options for exiting the European Union and finding no majority for any of the indicative votes, we’re wrapping up our live coverage.

If you’d like to read more about what happened or how Prime Minister Theresa May pledged to resign in a last-ditch attempt to save her Brexit deal, click here.

Prime Minister Theresa May leaves Parliament.

There was a great deal of uproar at the end of the parliamentary session when it became clear that, despite the fact that there was no majority for any of the Brexit alternatives, there would be another day of debate under the same process on Monday. However, Anna Soubry, one of the MPs involved in orchestrating the day’s events, said it was always envisaged that there would be two days of debate. The Speaker, John Bercow, agreed.

However, it’s not entirely clear whether Monday’s debate will go ahead. There will be further maneuvers inside and outside Parliament on Thursday. And it appears that the government wants to put Theresa May’s deal back before MPs on Friday.

British newspapers have begun reacting to the drama that unfolded tonight in the House of Commons.

Here’s The Guardian’s front page:

Though tonight’s non-binding votes produced no majority for anything, it did indicate that the Commons could favor something fairly soft. The largest number of votes fell behind a second public vote and a customs union of some sort ranked two and three.

What does this mean? Theresa May’s resignation is still arguably the most significant development of the day. If she can make hardliners hold their noses and convince softer Brexiteers that passing her deal puts a customs union on the table as negotiations proceed, then they should get behind her.

That, of course, tees up the prospect of the debate around the future relationship being an almighty row about a customs union.

Lawmakers are tweeting their frustrations over tonight’s results.

“What a farce as Parliament votes against all eight options. This is exactly what I thought would happen and why I voted against Parliament taking charge of the process or indicative votes,” Independent MP Ian Austin wrote.

Oliver Letwin, the architect tonight’s indicative votes, told the House of Commons that it was “a great disappointment” that there was no majority for any of the eight alternative Brexit options.

However, the MP told fellow lawmakers that he wanted to go ahead and spend Monday holding further debates and votes in parliament. But he was bombarded with shouts of “no,” as MPs suggested a second day of indicative votes would be a waste of time after tonight’s results.

Conservative MP Oliver Letwin in the House of Commons.

While, Brexit Secretary?Stephen Barclay said tonight’s results prove that lawmakers should back Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal as it was “in the national interest.”

“The results of the process this House has gone through today strengthens our view that the deal the Government has negotiated is the best option,” Barclay told Parliament.

Earlier this week, British lawmakers voted to take control of the House of Commons agenda in an unprecedented move to test support for alternatives to Theresa May’s deadlocked Brexit plan.

After spending hours seeking an alternative way out of the current Brexit deadlock, MPs rejected all eight of the proposed alternative routes.

The non-binding vote calling for a second referendum received the most support from parliamentarians, while a permanent customs union came closest to passing.

Here’s the list of alternative options in the order of popularity:

Motion (B): No deal

Rejected: 160-400

Motion (D): Common market 2.0

Rejected: 188-283

Motion (H) EFTA and EEA

Rejected: 65-377

Motion (J) Customs Union

Rejected: 264-272

Motion (K) Labour’s alternative plan

Rejected: 237-307

Motion (L) Revocation to avoid no deal

Rejected: 184-293

Motion (M) Confirmatory public vote

Rejected: 268-295

Motion (O) Contingent preferential arrangements

Rejected:?139-422

British MPs have failed to give an outright majority to any of the eight alternative Brexit options considered in the House of Commons.

John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, is announcing the results of the indicative votes after MPs were given eight different Brexit options to vote on earlier this evening.

If you expected jubilation from Leave voters following Prime Minister Theresa May’s indication that she’ll step down once her Brexit deal has been passed, you’ll be disappointed.

Here in Boston, Lincolnshire, where three-quarters of people voted to leave the EU, the news was met with barely an eye roll.

Ian Epton, a 48-year-old Paramedic, said he doesn’t think it will make any difference whatsoever, he’d rather she just concentrated on getting the job done.

“She should remain and we should go for a no deal option, not her deal”, he told me.

48-year-old Ian Epton says he'd rather Theresa May concentrated on "getting the job done."

That’s not to say that Leave voters here don’t feel sorry for Theresa May.

Paul Wait, a 56-year-old slaughterman said he doesn’t like how the Prime Minister has been treated, particularly by the rebellious Brexiteers within the Conservative party.

However, he would rather she stayed on as prime minister, but deliver on the hard Brexit he wanted, rather than the current deal she is pushing.?

“She ain’t done the job what we voted for,” he said.

56-year-old Paul Wait would rather Theresa May stays on as Prime Minister.

Anger runs high with politicians in Leave areas like this one, and it isn’t just directed at the Prime Minister.

Julia Howson, a retired teacher aged 65, said, with a sigh, “We are in such a mess and whether she has put us there, or this situation has, I just don’t know.”

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing, when it happens, but for the moment I don’t have a clue,” she added.

65-year-old Julia Howson says she wasn't sure if the Brexit "mess" was created by Theresa May, or simply the situation of leaving the EU.

How history judges these Brexit years remains to be seen. But Leave areas like Boston are judging them harshly.?

All day locals have told me, with great frustration, that the various indicative votes being voted on this evening by lawmakers are a betrayal of democracy.?

Options like a second referendum, or staying in a customs union, or a Single Market arrangement don’t deliver the Brexit that they voted for.

Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow has told parliament that tellers have not yet finished counting all the votes on the alternative Brexit options.

Bercow has suspended the House until the results are available.

It’s unclear when exactly the results will be announced.

John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons.

Lawmakers in the House of Commons have backed the statutory instrument that formally changes the date of Brexit in UK law.

While the UK’s departure from the EU had already changed in international law, British MPs needed to approve it as well in order to change UK law.

The extension means Britain will not crash out of the EU on Friday and will have until either April 12 or May 22, depending on whether parliament passes Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement.

Nigel Dodds, the leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party in Westminster, said the party would not abstain on Theresa May’s Brexit divorce deal when it’s brought forward for a third time.

Coming on the heels of party leader Arlene Foster saying the DUP could not support the deal, that suggests the party’s 10 MPs will again vote against it.

It gives May an uphill battle to swing enough votes to pass her deal, even after her promise to backbenchers a few hours ago that she would quit once this phase of Brexit is over.

Results expected in under 15 minutes

Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has said it will not support the government if British Prime Minister Theresa May tables a third meaningful vote on her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

In a statement on Twitter, the DUP said it would not support the deal because “necessary changes … to the backstop have not been secured” and the risk that Northern Ireland “would be trapped in backstop arrangements” is high.

“The current withdrawal agreement does not do so and the backstop, which we warned?this Government against from its first inception,?poses an unacceptable threat to the integrity of the United Kingdom and?will inevitably limit?the United Kingdom’s ability to negotiate on the type of future relationship with the EU,” the statement said.

Theresa May could still struggle to get MPs to back her Brexit withdrawal deal, despite receiving support from prominent Conservative Leave campaigner and staunch critic Boris Johnson, the UK Press Association is reporting.

It quotes a source from the pro-Brexit European Research Group saying, “there is no way enough votes are coming out of that [ERG] room to put the Withdrawal Agreement through.”

Former Brexit minister Steve Baker apparently told a meeting with ERG members that he was in a “ferocious rage,” following the “pantomime” of May’s announcement that she would step aside should her deal pass, according to PA.

While the House of Commons debate the statutory instrument that formally changes the date of Brexit in UK law, the House of Lords – which also needs to support it – has backed the delay.

According to the UK Press Association agency, members of the upper house of the UK parliament were warned that if they failed to back the extension, it would threaten conflict and confusion.

Brexit minister Lord Callanan described the statutory instrument as having a “simple but crucial purpose” and that it was “absolutely critical” the Lords agreed to the extension, according to PA.

“To avoid conflict between UK and EU law, it is essential that the instrument is made before March 29 so it may come into force ahead of that time,” Callanan said.

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town said the change was necessary, according to PA, but said the move was a “humiliation” for ministers who had repeatedly pledged that the UK would leave the EU on Friday.

In order for Brexit to be delayed, British lawmakers have to approve the statutory instrument that formally changes the date in UK law.

The extension means Britain will not crash out of the EU on Friday, and will have until either April 12 or May 22, depending on whether parliament passes Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement.

The House of Commons debate changing the date of Brexit.

While lawmakers technically could reject the statutory instrument, May reminded parliament on Monday that the UK’s departure from the EU had already changed in international law, and that the British government had already agreed to the change.

“Were the House not to pass the Statutory Instrument, it would cause legal confusion and damaging uncertainty, but it would not have any effect on the date of our exit,” the Prime Minister said.

Voting will take place around 9 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET).

Lawmakers have finished voting on various Brexit options. Results are expected at approximately 9 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET)

MPs have now returned to the House of Commons to debate pushing back the date of Brexit past March 29.

The House of Commons media team have tweeted a picture of what the ballot papers look like for tonight’s indicative votes.

MPs have approximately 30 minutes to fill out the form.

Michael Gove, David Lidington and Boris Johnson (left to right)

Theresa May has told Conservative MPs that if they back her deal, she’ll step down. But, who might replace her as the UK’s Prime Minister?

Boris Johnson:?The former mayor of London has been a frequent thorn in May’s side, repeatedly stating his opposition to her Brexit plan and resigning as Foreign Secretary over the strategy last year.

Johnson has been linked with the top job many times and looked set to make a run in 2016, before Michael Gove jumped out in front of him and made a bid himself.?He is popular with grassroots party members and has long held leadership ambitions.

Michael Gove: The prominent Brexit campaigner has run for leadership of the Tory party once before – in dramatic fashion. He ran Boris Johnson’s campaign for party leader in 2016, but withdrew his support for Johnson and declared his own candidacy before losing that race to May.

Gove is now the Environment Secretary and has aligned himself closely to May. He’s also previously voted in favor the prime minister’s Brexit deal in parliament.

Sajid Javid: The Home Secretary is widely expected to throw his hat into the ring if May steps down. He has made some populist moves in recent months that have been interpreted as positioning himself for the position – including stripping “ISIS bride” Shamima Begum?of her British citizenship.

Jeremy Hunt: The Foreign Secretary has held prominent roles in government under two Prime Ministers, and is thought to have been preparing a leadership run.

Those are the frontrunners, but others might join what could be a crowded field. From the pro-Remain wing of the party, figures like former Home Secretary and current head of the Work and Pensions department?Amber Rudd?could consider a run.

May’s de facto deputy and ultra-loyalist David Lidington has been touted as a caretaker leader should she be forced to stand aside. But the former Europe minister has indicated that he would not make a bid for the top job permanently.

Several pro-Brexit MPs could also run for the job, especially if they fear another one-time Remain-backing figure would be the most likely candidate. Former Brexit secretaries?David Davis?and?Dominic Raab?both quit the post in protest at May’s approach, while hardline backbencher?Jacob Rees-Mogg?is a favorite among grassroots Conservative members.

Word around Westminster is that Boris Johnson is now backing Theresa May’s Brexit withdrawal deal.

Conservative Party MP Zac Goldsmith?tells CNN:

Having Johnson, the most prominent Conservative Leave campaigner and staunch critic of the deal (Johnson resigned from the cabinet over May’s Brexit plans) might just be enough to get the deal over line, should it come back to the House of Commons this week. This is a big win for May.

Another Conservative MP, Conor Burns, also tweeted that Johnson was “absolutely right telling MPs that palpable risk of losing Brexit altogether with the chance of change in the next phase means we have little choice but to vote for the Withdrawal Agreement.”

All talk in London has shifted from parliament taking control of the Brexit process to Theresa May’s exit.

When she steps down as Prime Minister all depends on what happens before the end of this week.

May’s statement to backbench MPs made it clear that her departure was contingent on her Brexit deal passing the Commons this week. It’s worth remembering that the EU set that deadline.

If May can get the deal approved before March 29, then we enter the implementation period as outlined in the Withdrawal Agreement on May 22. It’s not yet known when the next phase of Brexit talks would begin, but May will go before that happens.

An event being talked about is the G20 summit in Japan, commencing on June 28. It’s unlikely – though not impossible – that a new prime minister would be installed before that date. So if a Conservative leadership contest kicks off at the start of July, we could reasonably expect a new prime minister by middle or late July.

But what if the deal doesn’t pass? In that event, the UK needs to inform the EU if it intends to take part in the EU Parliamentary elections. May has said that she did not want to have the UK stand in these elections. So it’s probable that in this event, she would depart from office on or around that date.

If the UK decided not to stand in these elections, then May’s deal hasn’t passed and she doesn’t have to make this concession. So based on her statement to MPs, she could claim that it’s fine her to stay on. But her position would be untenable and it’s hard to see how, in light of her deal failing and the UK crashing towards a no-deal Brexit that she clearly doesn’t favor, she could stomach staying on.

Lawmakers are voting on eight non-binding votes on alternative Brexit options.

Instead of the usual divisions where MPs head to lobbies to cast their votes, they will be given paper ballots to vote on all the options simultaneously.

Results are expected to be announced by the Speaker of the House John Bercow sometime after 9 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET).

The leader of the UK’s main opposition party, Jeremy Corbyn has tweeted in response to the news that Theresa May will step down if Conservative MPs back her Withdrawal Agreement.

“Theresa May’s pledge to Tory MPs to stand down if they vote for her deal shows once and for all that her chaotic Brexit negotiations have been about party management, not principles or the public interest,” the Labour leader tweeted.

Arch-Brexiteer and chair of the pro-Brexit European Research Group (ERG) Jacob Rees-Mogg says that if Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) abstained from a vote on Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit withdrawal deal, he would feel compelled to back it.

Speaking to the UK Press Association agency, Mogg said that if the DUP were against May’s deal, he would not back it.

Reacting to the Prime Minister’s decision to step down before the next phase of Brexit negotiations begins, Mogg described it as “right and proper.”

The ERG is a group of Conservative MPs who favor a clean break from the European Union and whose members have previously voiced deep concern about May’s negotiating strategy.?

MP Jacob Rees-Mogg pictured on March 27.

While not everyone is thrilled with Prime Minister Theresa May’s plan to step down after her Brexit withdrawal deal is delivered, other lawmakers have praised her.

Labour’s Peter Kyle slammed any MP who saw the new job opening as an opportunity.

“MPs owe it to future generations to vote on the deal with them in mind, not based on whether the PM will be in office a few days fewer. t’s unimaginable that people are gambling with our economy in the hope it helps their chances of a promotion. It’s sickening,” Kyle wrote on Twitter.

While others called May’s address a “commanding brave speech” and that she had spoken with “remarkable dignity.”

Yesterday, we speculated, that there was a potential path for Theresa May to get her deal through UK parliament: get her hardliners on board; offer something for the softer Brexiteers; offer her head if the deal goes through.

While nothing is certain yet, telling MPs that she will stand down and not lead the next phase of Brexit suggests that the pieces are in place for one final go at passing her twice-defeated Withdrawal Agreement.

It’s worth noting that the task is still gargantuan, as she needs to flip 75 MPs to turnover her loss of 149 two weeks ago.

It should also be noted that the wording here is quite specific: “I know there is a desire for a new approach – and new leadership – in the second phase of the Brexit negotiations – and I won’t stand in the way of that.”

Getting to that second phase is now the key question.

As one source close to the PM told me after the news dropped: “She has always put the national interest above her personal interest. If this is the price to be paid for delivering Brexit, it’s a price she’s prepared to pay.”

Downing Street has released excerpts of what Prime Minister Theresa May told Conservative MPs this evening.

You can read what she said here:

CNN’s Bianca Nobilo is inside the House of Parliament in Westminster, where Conservative MP, Simon Hart, has gone into more detail about what happened inside the meeting.

“She has said that she will not stay through to the next phase of negotiations. If they back the deal she will go.

“No timescale was talked about or given. The implication was if she gets her deal through that will kick start the process to find a new leader almost immediately. It was a respectful atmosphere. She was as animated as I’d ever seen her at committee. She was passionate but not emotional. We are all traumatized at this point by these negotiations.”

Lawmakers are beginning to react to the news that Prime Minister Theresa May told Conservative MPs that she would step down once her Brexit deal is delivered.

Anna Soubry, who recently left the party to join a breakaway cross-party bloc known as the Independent Group, tweeted that it was “shameful” that “hard Brexiteers will vote for the PMs “deal” not because it’s good for our country and the right thing to do … but because it gets rid of the PM.”

While Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “If Brexit ends up being forced through on the basis of a deal no one supports – indeed a deal so bad that the PM has to promise to resign to get it through - it will make an already bad project even worse.”

Another Conservative MP who attended the meeting with backbench Conservative MPs has also told Britain’s Press Association that Theresa May would “not remain in post for the next phase of the [Brexit] negotiations.”

James Cartlidge told PA as he left the private meeting at Westminster:

Theresa May has said that she will stand down as prime minister once Brexit has been delivered, according to a Conservative Party lawmaker in a meeting with her.

“She will not be in charge for the next phase,” she told Conservative MPs.

She did not give a date for her departure.

Prime Minister Theresa May has just walked into the committee room in the House of Commons where she will address her backbench Conservative MPs. CNN’s Bianca Nobilo is in the committee-room corridor in the House of Commons and says she looked “sprightly” but didn’t answer reporters’ questions. There was some “muted” banging on tables to welcome her as she entered, Nobilo said.

Some of her MPs have said they want her to set out a timetable for leaving the post of Prime Minister as the price of their support. There have been no indications, however, that she is prepared to be as explicit as that.

The House of Commons has tweeted a video of Speaker John Bercow explaining why lawmakers often “bob” up and down during debates in parliament.

“Bobbing up and down by Members in the Chamber is analogous to a school student putting his or her hand up in class,” Bercow explains. “It’s a silent means of signally to the Speaker.”

Theresa May’s Brexit Secretary?Stephen Barclay has told parliament that the government will table a motion for the House of Commons to sit on Friday.

Barclay hinted that May intends ask MPs to vote for a third time on her Brexit deal. If approved, the UK would leave the EU on May 22. The EU, when it agreed to an extension to the Brexit process last Friday, said the UK would have to leave on April 12 if it can’t agree upon a deal this week.

Here’s what Barclay told Parliament a short time ago:

Usually, MPs do not sit on Fridays so that they can spend time in their constituencies, attending local events and addressing local issues.

Now that the Speaker has selected the motions to be voted on later, it’s a good time to over the pros and cons of each.

No deal

This is in some respects the simplest option, but in other respects will cause the biggest headache. In a no-deal scenario, the UK would immediately fall out of all EU institutions and trade according to World Trade Organization terms. It would likely lead to difficulties getting food and medicine into the UK from outside and will make travelling in and out of the country complicated.

Common Market 2.0

This is the too-clever-by-half plan, dreamed up by Labour and Conservative MPs. It would give the UK access to the EU’s Single Market via the European Free Trade Association, but the country would remain outside the Customs Union. This is clever because it avoids a hit to the services industry, allows the UK to trade with European nations while retaining control of its international trade policy.

The problem is, it doesn’t provide a sufficient answer to the Irish border question. While the plan says that a customs arrangement could resolve this issue, such an agreement is unprecedented among EFTA members. That could make the plan a non-starter.

EFTA and EEA

This plan is not a million miles from the Common Market 2.0 approach, but rules out any customs union with the EU. That means it also doesn’t satisfy the Ireland question. The plan claims that there could be some kind of alternative arrangement to the Irish backstop –?the insurance policy that prevents the return of border posts in Ireland. But the backstop is part of the Withdrawal Agreement which, as we know, is a closed matter for the EU.

Labour’s alternative plan

The main opposition Labour Party’s plan for Brexit is somewhat confuse and light on detail. It calls for the UK to be closely aligned with the EU on matters such as the Single Market and says that the UK must keep up to speed with workers’ rights.

Crucially, it supports a permanent customs union in which the UK has “an appropriate say on any new trade deal terms.”

The appropriate amount of say any third party has had over new trade deals has been zero to date, so this might be little more than wishful thinking.

Revoking Article 50

As controversial as no deal, revoking Article 50 – the legal process by which Brexit is happening –?could cause serious domestic problems for the UK. The vote to leave the EU was the largest electoral turnout in British history. Overturning that is a decision not to be taken lightly.

Confirmatory public vote

This looks like a fudge. The plan says that the UK cannot ratify any Brexit deal “unless and until they have been approved by the people of the UK in a confirmatory public ballot.”

It doesn’t mention remaining in the EU, which leaves this plan open to interpretation. No wonder a party with no coherent policy has instructed its MPs to back it.

Contingent preferential arrangements

??

A total of 33 Conservative MPs defied Theresa May and voted in favor of the motion that secured indicative votes for this evening.

The Prime Minister had attempted to whip against Tory lawmakers voting for the motion.

The 33 Conservative MPs who defied the whip.

Canvasing public opinion on the turmoil that is Brexit, CNN headed to Kingston Upon Thames, an area that voted to remain in the European Union with 61.6% back in 2016.

Resident Margerie Hay said when it came to the public vote, she voted to leave. “I think we did very well before we went into Brexit … The economy was doing very well. I don’t see why we should have to be subjected to ridiculous amounts of money to them [the EU]. We had to pay to go in, so why do we have to pay to come out?”

She thinks people should be given the opportunity to make a final decision on the Brexit deal now that negotiations are through but suggests that more people would come round to her way of thinking.

“We weren’t informed enough about it. I think the sensible people would vote to come out. I’m in the minority in Kingston – I don’t know why,” she added.

Pensioner Denis Lackie voted to leave the EU back in 2016.

Another pensioner Denis Lackie said he too voted to leave. “The best we can hope for [is] that May gets [the] deal through and steps down and we start negotiating a trade deal.”

The town of Boston in Lincolnshire voted with a 75% majority to leave the European Union during the 2016 referendum.

The medieval market town of Boston has found fame in Brexit. It recorded the highest Leave vote in the UK: 75.6%.

Speaking to people in its bustling town center reveals that Leavers haven’t changed their mind in the years since.

Friends David Cotgreabe and Peter Hewitt, both pensioners, said they’d rather have the Prime Minister’s deal than no Brexit at all. A hard no-deal Brexit doesn’t scare either of them.

Hewitt said, “There’s going to be problems whatever we do. With a no-deal Brexit, people try to scare you … Nobody knows what’s going to happen until it actually happens.”

They would be open to being part of the European single market, like Norway, but only if there were tighter controls on immigration.

Boston has the highest proportion of immigrants outside of London, with immigrants comprising about 27% of the town’s population, according to the Office of National Statistics.

Hewitt says it has put too much pressure on local services, and the immigrants don’t learn English or integrate into society.?

Clive Warriner, another local pensioner, wants the UK to leave the EU, and if it has to be a no-deal then so be it.

As for the Prime Minister’s Withdrawal Deal, Warriner chuckled and said, “I don’t know what it is, I don’t think she even knows what it is.”

Lynn Booth, pictured left, tells CNN she would change her Remain vote if given the option of a second referendum.

Not only have Brexiteer minds remained unchanged, but the few who actually voted to Remain, told me they have lost their appetite for Europe.

Lynn Booth was having a cup of tea before she went to work when she spoke to CNN. She’s a part-time microbiologist for the National Health Service.?Back in 2016, she voted to remain in the EU but given another opportunity she’d opt to leave.

“I think the EU, Brussels, are very arrogant, I think the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is arrogant and so is the French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron.”

It doesn’t bode well for those Remainers pushing for a second referendum. Disappointment with the government, Westminster, and the tough stance of the EU have all contributed to increasing anger and frustration in Boston.

The leader of the House, Andrea Leadsom, said earlier today that the government wanted to put the Prime Minister’s Withdrawal Agreement before Parliament a third time before the end of this week. Speaker John Bercow has ruled that the motion put before MPs must be substantively different from the previous two occasions, citing the precedent that the same motion can’t be put before Parliament twice in the same session.

In the light of the reports that a third vote might take place on Thursday or Friday, Bercow repeated that warning from the chair just now. And he also warned the government against using procedural devices to get around it.

This is what he said:

That’s setting off all sorts of alarm bells. It would be deeply ironic if, having finally secured the support of arch-Brexiteers like Jacob Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson, and momentum flowing in the direction of her deal, the Speaker prevents it being voted on.

Such a move would cause even more bad blood between the Speaker and the government than exists now. And it would make things very problematic for Downing Street. Most commentators think the only way around that would be to dissolve this parliamentary session and start a new one. The trouble is, that would involve the Queen, who must give her assent to such a move. Buckingham Palace would be very nervous about a constitutionally apolitical monarch being inserted into a sensitive political situation.

House speaker John Bercow announces he is selecting eight amendments for debate. Those amendments are B, D, H, J, K, L, M, O. They cover the main alternatives we expected including no deal, customs union and a Canada-style free trade agreement.

Here’s a reminder of how the options break down:

MPs have voted 331 to 287 in favor of going ahead with today’s business – a majority of 44. It’s another defeat for the government, which had opposed the motion.

MPs are voting now on whether to go ahead with today’s unprecedented debate, with lawmakers in control of parliamentary business. If the motion is passed, a debate will follow and the famous indicative votes will take place at 7:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. ET).

What happens later in the House of Commons will mean different things to different people.

The government, hellbent as it is on pursuing its Plan A to get May’s Withdrawal Agreement approved by the end of this week, will take these indicative votes as guidance as to how is should proceed in negotiating a future relationship with the EU. As things stand, the clearest path to Brexit happening in the coming weeks is if May’s deal passes. It’s the preferred option of the government and the EU.

But if you oppose May’s deal – and let’s be clear, that gang includes opposition parties and many members of May’s own Conservative Party, including former ministers – these alternative arrangements are what they want to see happen in place of the Withdrawal Agreement.

Essentially, if the UK wants to negotiate a new Withdrawal Agreement based on these votes, then it should probably strap in for an extended stay in the EU. Negotiating a new Withdrawal Agreement would likely take years, if the last negotiations were anything to go by.

But if the government gets its way, then these votes can be used to form policy once the UK leaves the EU on May 22.

It can’t be much fun being a an MP this week.

Andrea Leadsom delivered the government's position of Wednesday's business motion.

Leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, has expressed her disappointment that the government lost Monday night’s vote when MPs took control of Wednesday’s business.

Leadsom, who refused to take questions, said the EU had been clear that changing the Withdrawal Agreement which May brokered was simply not an option.

“This government wants to deliver on the referendum of 2016 in a way that maintains a deep and special partnership with the European Union. Urgent action is needed. Businesses and people can not be left in limbo any longer,” she said urging her colleagues in the House to accept the divorce deal that has already been put before them.

Oliver Letwin speaks in Parliament on Wednesday afternoon.

Given how complex – and unprecedented – Wednesday has become, lawmakers are still debating the business motion that sets out the procedure for the day.

Conservative parliamentarian Oliver Letwin, who is orchestrating today’s events, has been defending his move.

He said the only way to avoid a no-deal Brexit is to “by crystalizing a majority and trying to carry it forward.” If Conservative MPs would only support the Prime Minister’s deal in a third vote, there would be no need for this debate.

The exchanges have been colorful, with much delving into British constitutional history to argue whether Letwin’s maneuver is legitimate. At one point, Letwin spent some time debating the role of the Privy Council in the 16th century with the leading Brexiteer, Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The government will not be telling its Conservative MPs how to vote in the indicative votes later. In a message to MPs, the chief whip, Julian Smith, said MPs would have a free vote, but but added that members of the Cabinet will be told to abstain.

Why has the government done this? The most likely reason is that it prevents another tranche of resignations by junior ministers. But it also shows that the Prime Minister is still willing to hear the opinions of those that oppose her. The Conservative Party is a broad church, so by abstaining but offering a free vote, May is cannot be accused of ignoring her own party.

In the House of Commons, debate of Oliver Letwin’s Business of the House motion is underway.

Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, followed by Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer

The opposition Labour Party has not only tabled its own alternative plan for tonight’s vote, but it has ordered its MPs to support a second referendum.

But hold onto your hats – we’re not necessarily talking about a referendum that could cancel Brexit. The “confirmatory public ballot” that MPs have proposed simply states that any Brexit deal must be ratified with a public vote.

There was confusion earlier in the day, as Labour’s shadow trade secretary Barry Gardiner told the BBC that Labour would not support this plan, as it would make the party look like it supported remaining in the European Union.

But it looks as though Labour is once again going to have its cake and eat it. The so-called Kyle-Wilson amendment – named after the MPs who originally proposed it – does not specify whether Remain would be on the ballot paper for a second referendum. Thus, Labour can appear the more pro-Europe of the two main parties without actually committing to anything.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that Labour is as divided as the Conservative Party on Brexit. Its MPs in pro-Leave parts of the country cannot afford to be seen as trying to prevent Brexit, while many of its Europhile members openly agitate for a second referendum with remain as an option.

This fudge allows for a smaller rebellion from the pro-Remain MPs, rather than a more embarrassing rebellion should the party leadership choose to pave the way to remaining in the EU.

Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street for Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

The government is going to officially oppose tonight’s indicative votes.

Does this mean the whole thing is off? Not quite.

May’s authority has already been blown to pieces this week. The fact that these votes could be happening at all has made the government look out of control and in chaos.

If May supported this Plan B for Brexit, the credibility of her Plan A would be in tatters. And if you consider the fact that all opposition parties want these votes to happen, as do a large number of Conservative MPs, it looks as though May won’t get her way. Again.

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox departs Downing Street on Wednesday.

The indicative votes taking place in the House of Commons Wednesday are widely considered to be non-binding – meaning the government doesn’t actually have to act on the outcome.

However, the UK government’s legal adviser, the Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, told the Cabinet last night, according to CNN affiliate ITV News, that ministers would be obliged to accept whatever alternative was produced from the indicative vote process.

Downing Street and the Attorney General’s office both declined to comment to CNN on the report.

If the Business of the House motion is approved later, Parliament will take control of the legislative timetable on April 1 as well as Wednesday. According to the plan, by the end of Wednesday’s proceedings, we have a league table of seven or eight yet-to-be-determined options as voted for by UK MPs. And then on Monday, we’ll have a runoff.

So, yes, it does appear to be as clear as mud, and the interpretation of what is legally binding is very much up for debate.

House Speaker John Bercow address Parliament on Wednesday.

In response to a point of order from Mark Francois regarding the conduct of indicative votes that will take place later Wednesday, Commons Speaker John Bercow says there is “no such plan” for anonymous voting as part of procedures this evening.

Bercow says he will be making a statement on Oliver Letwin’s Business of the House motion “in a timely way.”

Conservative politician William Cash said some are convinced the extension of Article 50 is unlawful and asked the British PM sought legal advice before agreeing to it.

May responded by saying the date of Britain’s exit has already been altered under international law and that the purpose of the vote tonight is to reflect this change domestically. She added that if the statutory instrument were not to pass, “there would be severe uncertainty for citizens and businesses.”

Conservative politician Peter Bottomley said the Prime Minister’s negotiated divorce deal has failed to pass because of Remainers, hardline Brexiteers and Labour, but that the country stands with her efforts.

May responded to Bottomley’s remarks, saying “that is the message I consistently get from people across the country.”

Prime Minister Theresa May has referenced the petition for the UK to remain in the European Union – an appeal that has received more than 5.8 million signatures in the last week.

“Like the traditional paper petition system, we do have an e-petition system that aims to strike a balance between allowing people to easily recognize their support and register their support for issues while discouraging dishonesty,” May said in Parliament on Wednesday.

May said she couldn’t discuss specific details but confirmed petitions are subject to checks to ensure they are not manipulated by foreign state actors.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party, in Parliament on Wednesday lunchtime.

Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn has stepped forward to ask what Theresa May’s Plan B on Brexit is.

The UK Prime Minister brushes the question aside, reiterating that her negotiated Withdrawal Deal with the European Union can deliver Brexit for the country, while other options being discussed do not.

Corbyn said:

Corbyn says May must either listen and change course – or resign.

British PM Theresa May speaks in Parliament on Wednesday.

In response to a question from Stewart Hosie, Scottish National Party MP for Dundee East, asking if the Prime Minister will take responsibility for the “Brexit debacle” and announce when she plans to resign, Theresa May opts to avoid it and simply says the Brexit deal delivers on the results of the referendum.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is addressing the House of Commons now.

In case you hadn’t heard, Westminster’s Brexit business will run a little differently Wednesday.

Why? Off the back of voting on Monday night, UK lawmakers voted for an amendment put forward by Conservative MP Oliver Letwin, giving them control over the parliamentary timetable on Wednesday. Plans for how voting would unfold were outlined in Letwin’s Business of the House motion.

Power transfers to lawmakers at around 2:00 p.m. with House Speaker John Bercow making a selection of the tabled motions an hour or so later.

And voting procedures change? Well, yes, this is where things get freaky. Once we get down to voting around 7:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. ET), instead of the usual divisions where MPs head to lobbies to cast their votes, they will be given ballot papers to vote on all the options simultaneously. Before the end of proceedings, which would be sometime after 9:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. ET), the Speaker will announce the results of the indicative votes held earlier.

Britain's Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom leaves 10 Downing street in London after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Andrea Leadsom, leader of the House of Commons, said the government is hopeful it will be able to bring Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement back for a third “meaningful vote” this week.

“I think that there is a real possibility that it does. We are completely determined to make sure that we can get enough support to bring it back,” Leadsom told BBC Radio 4’s Today program, according to Britain’s Press Association.

“The Prime Minister said she is working hard, as many colleagues are, to persuade colleagues to support it,” Leadsom continued.

Leadsom opted not to comment on speculation May could offer to stand down in exchange for support for her deal.

“I am fully supporting the Prime Minister to get us out of the European Union,” she said. “I think that is a matter for her. I am not expressing a view.”

Protesters take part in the Put It To The People March on Whitehall on March 23 in London, England.

The UK Parliament will debate a petition to revoke Article 50 on April 1, but has ruled out revoking the legal process for Britain to leave the European Union.

In the last week, a petition to remain in the bloc has received more than 5.8 million signatures.?But in a statement responding to the plea, the Department for Exiting the European Union said it acknowledges the “considerable number of people who have signed this petition” but it will “honour the result of the 2016 referendum and work with Parliament to deliver a deal that ensures we leave the European Union.”

The statement posted on the official parliamentary petition website, added:

European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt during a plenary session at the European Parliament on March 27 in Strasbourg, eastern France.

The European Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator?Guy Verhofstadt isn’t pulling any punches on Wednesday. ?

“The problem of humiliation and punishment is because of the mess in the Tory party. There is the humiliation of the British people,” he said.

Nigel Farage, leader of the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy Group, also took the opportunity to call on the bloc to reject any further Brexit extensions beyond April 12.

“Get Britain out. And, then we can all just get on with the rest our lives,” Farage, who was also present in the European Parliament, said.

Shortly after, Verhofstadt trolled the prominent Brexiteer on Twitter, referring to a pro-Brexit march orchestrated by Farage that is currently making its way from Sunderland to London.

Wednesday in Westminster will be the first time in over a century that the UK government has lost control of Parliament’s agenda.?It is shaping up to be a crucial moment in what has already been a series of rollercoaster weeks in the Brexit process and could well be the final blow to May’s premiership.

In total, 16 motions have been tabled by MPs. Commons Speaker John Bercow will decided which of these will be chosen for debate around 3:00 p.m. (11:00 a.m.).

These are the main alternatives being floated:

Norway-plus: Also dubbed Common Market 2.0, it’s essentially a very soft Brexit – meaning the UK officially leaves the EU but remains closely aligned to it. The “plus” part of this plan would be a customs arrangement between the UK and the EU that avoids a hard border on the island of Ireland.

Customs union: There are at least three motions arguing that the UK should negotiate a permanent customs union – essentially a free-trade agreement between a number of countries who agree to share common external tariffs – with the EU. It’s an option favored by the main opposition Labour but the party has offered little explicit detail on what it would entail.

No deal: Brexit may not mean Brexit, but no deal really does mean no deal. The UK would leave the EU on April 12 and become a third-party nation. It would trade with the world on terms set by the World Trade Organization and would fall out of all EU institutions. This would affect everything from medical supplies to air travel.

Canada-style free trade agreement: Canada and the EU endured years-long excruciating negotiations before they got to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). CETA eliminates 98% of tariffs between Europe and Canada on certain goods and offers access to much of the EU services market. The agreement is essentially a looser trading arrangement that removes many barriers between Europe and Canada. However, because Canada is not a member of the Customs Union or Single Market, customs checks still exist. It’s worth noting that this option wouldn’t satisfy the Irish border question

Revoke Article 50: A does-what-it-says-on-the-tin alternative, this option calls for a second public vote on leaving the EU and possibly scrapping the Brexit process altogether.

Conservative MP Oliver Letwin in London on March 22.

Oliver Letwin, the veteran Conservative parliamentarian who proposed Wednesday’s Parliamentary’s agenda, has warned that if the British Prime Minister ignores the day’s outcome, MPs might be forced to act.

“If on Monday one or more propositions get a majority backing in the House of Commons, then we will have to work with the Government to implement them,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today program, Britain’s Press Association reported.

“The way I would hope it would happen under those circumstances is that we would have sensible, workmanlike discussions across the House of Commons and the government would move forward in an orderly fashion,” Letwin continued.

Letwin is the Conservative MP for West Dorset, and voted Remain in the 2016 referendum. Known as something of a political fixer, he was an aide to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and a government minister under David Cameron.

With such a busy day ahead, here’s a handy breakdown of the big moments you won’t want to miss:

Noon (8 a.m. ET) – Prime Minister’s Questions

2:00 p.m. (10 a.m. ET) – The business of the House of Commons is handed over to lawmakers, and debate on how tonight’s votes will work begins.

3:00 p.m. (11 a.m. ET) – Commons speaker John Bercow announces which alternative Brexit options have been selected. UK lawmakers to start debate.

5:00 p.m. (1 p.m. ET) – Separate to all the action in Parliament, May will meet the 1922 Committee?of Conservative backbenchers to try to sell them her deal once again. Speculation has been intensifying that the PM could put forward a timetable for her departure in a bid to secure support.

7:00 p.m. (3 p.m. ET) – The indicative votes on Brexit options will get underway in the House of Commons.

7:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. ET) – Voting ends and tallying begins.

9:30 p.m. - 10 p.m. (5:30 - 6 p.m. ET) – Results of indicative votes are expected to be revealed.

European Council President Donald Tusk on February 6.

President of the European Council Donald Tusk has described April 12 as the new cliff edge date for Brexit.

“Before that day, the UK still has a choice of a deal, no deal, a long extension, or revoking article 50,” Tusk said while addressing members of the European Parliament on Wednesday morning.

Tusk also spoke up passionately for the Britons who want to remain and have expressed so in recent days:

Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People’s Party, told parliament:?“We wish all our friends in the House of Commons good luck, so hopefully they can manage it in a better way than the government did in the last month.”

Last week, Brussels approved a two-pronged delay to Brexit. The EU set a new deadline of April 12 for Britain to indicate a way forward, request a longer extension or crash out of the bloc. If May can finally secure parliamentary approval for her deal, the extension deadline would be May 22. Westminster is yet to formally approve the EU’s extension – it’s one of the votes that will take place later on Wednesday.

British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves Downing Street on March 23, 2017 in London, England.

One option that lawmakers won’t be voting on is the one they’ve already rejected twice – the Prime Minister’s Withdrawal Agreement, which she brokered with the European Union over the last two years.

But she’s not giving up her divorce deal just yet…

Later Wednesday, she is due to meet with the influential?1922 Committee?of Conservative backbenchers?amid speculation that she could offer to resign in exchange for her party’s support to get her deal over the line in a third so-called meaningful vote.

May has so far refused to give a date when she’ll leave Downing Street, but some prominent Brexit supporters have said using her position as a bargaining chip may be enough to sway the support over to her side.

A pro-Remain protester holds up an EU flag with one of the stars symbolically cut out in front of the Houses of Parliament in 2017.

It’s a big day for Brexit. For the first time in living memory, UK lawmakers have taken control of the parliamentary timetable and will vote on a range of Brexit alternatives – including some the Prime Minister has already taken off the table – to see if one can command a majority.

Options on the ballot include: