What is the Withdrawal Agreement Bill? Next crucial Brexit vote explained

Friday 17 May 2019 17:34, UK
By Aubrey Allegretti, political reporter
Theresa May will make a last-ditch bid to save her job and deliver Brexit with another crucial vote next month.
But the deal MPs will debate is going to come in a package we haven't seen before.
First we had the meaningful votes, then the one just on her withdrawal agreement.
But in the first week of June, the showdown will be over the "Withdrawal Agreement Bill".
:: What is it and how is it different?
The Withdrawal Agreement Bill is a legally binding treaty that will put all the details of the Brexit deal into law.
Previous votes have been a fairly straightforward question of accepting or rejecting the deal as a whole.
But the latest proposed legislation has the potential to pose lots more problems.
MPs could try to amend politically sensitive parts of it.
For instance, they could make payments for the divorce bill of about £35bn conditional on a future trade deal.
There have been attempts to amend the deal before - but those tabled to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill will be on a much larger range of issues.
:: When are the votes?
The bill - like any suggested new piece of legislation - has to go through several processes before becoming law.
Sky News has been told it is likely to be published next week.
That will be the first time MPs read the bill.
We know that the major vote will come between 3 and 7 June.
Ministers have refused to say exactly which date it will happen on, but it is already turning out to be a packed week - with Donald Trump's state visit and the Peterborough by-election.
:: Will the PM win it? Or lose for a fourth time?
Most MPs will wait to see the exact details before deciding how to vote.
But Labour has confirmed that due to compromise talks breaking, it will be voting against.
Remember: This "national unity" approach Mrs May declared after the first three defeats of her deal happened because Tory Brexiteers and her government partners refused to support it.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) suggested that unless Mrs May could "demonstrate something new" to address its concerns, it will not support the bill.
And a Tory Brexiteer told Sky News: "She's missed the point that she can't pass a deal.
"Somebody else might. She can't. Nobody trusts her."
:: What would happen next?
If the deal passes, the government hopes it can tie everything up with the EU to ensure Brexit happens this summer.
But if it does not, Britain remains on course to leave the bloc on 31 October.
Mrs May will likely also be under huge pressure to resign, having refused so far to name a date for her departure until MPs back the deal.