(Bloomberg) -- Britain’s Parliament meets Saturday to pass judgment on Boris Johnson’s
Brexit deal. How will the day play out?0830 European Research Group of pro-Brexit Conservatives meets, to try to agree a position. The premier needs almost all of them to support him if his deal is to pass.0930 Parliament opens. Johnson will set out his deal in a statement, taking questions from Members of Parliament.1100 (roughly) When Johnson’s statement is finished, they move to debating the deal. Speaker of the Commons John Bercow announces which amendments will be voted on. The one to watch has been proposed by Oliver Letwin.1430 (roughly) It’s likely an MP will propose moving to a vote around this point.How does voting work? For a detailed look at the procedure, see: Order! Order! How the U.K. Parliament Will Vote on BrexitHow are the votes stacking up? See our tally: Can Johnson Pull Off the Impossible? We’re Counting the VotesThey will vote on the amendments first. The government wants its motion not to be amended, so a “No” vote is a win for Johnson, and a “Yes” vote is a defeat. Each vote takes around 15 minutes.If Letwin’s motion passes:Johnson is required by law to seek a delay to Brexit.They will then vote on the motion as amended.The government can’t withdraw its motion at this point.Letwin argues that if his amendment has passed, the vote can still indicate how much support there is for Johnson’s deal. But it would have no legal effect.If Letwin’s amendment is defeated, or isn’t selected for a vote:They will vote on the unamended motionA “Yes” vote is a win for Johnson. He will not be required to seek a delay to Brexit.A “No” vote means Johnson is required to ask the
European Union for more time.If the deal is rejected, Johnson could choose to ask for a vote on whether the U.K. should leave the EU without a deal. In practice, this is unlikely, because it would reveal how little support that idea has in Parliament. If Johnson does push the question, an amendment has been proposed that would call instead for a second referendum.To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Hutton in
London at rhutton1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.