Indicative votes on Brexit options: What MPs are voting on and how it will pan out
MPs will get their say on Brexit alternatives such as a Norway-style deal, a permanent customs union or even staying in the EU.
Wednesday 27 March 2019 09:43, UK
The House of Commons will today grab control of parliamentary time away from the government in order to hold votes on a series of alternative Brexit outcomes.
Under a proposal spearheaded by former Conservative minister Sir Oliver Letwin, MPs will take part in so-called indicative votes.
Why are MPs having indicative votes?
Amid the current impasse at Westminster - with the Commons so far unwilling to approve Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal - some MPs have been calling for parliament to be given a say on whether to choose a different path.
How did we get here?
On Monday night, a 29-strong rebellion by Tory MPs saw the government defeated and Sir Oliver's proposal backed by a Commons majority.
It means, on Wednesday, the government's business in the Commons - which usually takes precedence - will extraordinarily be sidelined in favour of the indicative votes plan.
Academics have described the suspension of government business in the Commons as one of the most fundamental shifts in relationship between the government and parliament since 1642.
What will MPs vote on?
MPs had until the end of the day on Tuesday to table different Brexit options for the Commons to vote on.
The motions tabled include:
:: A permanent UK-EU customs union;
:: A Norway-style relationship with the EU;
:: The replacement of the Brexit backstop in the PM's deal with "alternative arrangements";
:: Labour's alternative Brexit plan
:: A no-deal Brexit;
:: A "confirmatory" referendum on any Brexit deal;
:: The revocation of the Article 50 notification and the cancellation of the UK's exit from the UK.
How will it work?
Around 3pm today, House of Commons Speaker John Bercow will announce which Brexit options he has chosen for debate and to be voted on.
These will then be debated until 7pm, at which point MPs will be given half-an-hour to vote on the various options.
They'll each be handed a piece of paper and asked to write "aye" or "noe" next to each option.
Commons officials will then count the votes, expected to take an hour, and so the results will then be announced sometime after 8.30pm.
The Speaker will read out the tally of votes for each Brexit option.
What will the results mean?
In legal terms, the votes mean nothing and will not compel the government to change its Brexit strategy.
The prime minister has already told MPs she won't commit the government to pursuing a different course, even if it is backed by a Commons majority through indicative votes.
Mrs May has warned some options might be non-negotiable with the EU, while others would breach the Conservative Party's manifesto from the 2017 general election.
However, if there was a large Commons majority for one Brexit option, she might find it politically impossible to ignore.
What happens next?
The indicative votes plan also seeks to once again suspend government business in the Commons on Monday 1 April.
This time would then likely be used for a second round of voting on Brexit options on April Fool's Day.
It means Wednesday's votes will perhaps be used to whittle down the Brexit options to a final shortlist.