The government has indicated it will give MPs power to shape the UK’s future relationship with EU, in an attempt to win crucial Labour support for its Brexit deal.
Theresa May is heading for almost certain defeat on Friday – the day the UK had been set to leave the EU – when the Commons votes on her withdrawal agreement.
If MPs vote in favour this afternoon, then the UK will secure an automatic delay to Brexit until May 22.
But if the government loses the vote, the country will be heading towards a no-deal exit on April 12 or potentially a much longer extension to Article 50, a softer Brexit and a general election.
In the run-up to the vote, several high-profile Brexiteer Tories swung behind the prime minister following warnings it was the only chance to salvage Brexit at all.
Boris Johnson, a frontrunner to succeed May as PM, said while he found it “very painful” to vote for the deal, he would now back it.
Earlier this week the former foreign secretary had demanded May “channel the spirit of Moses”, ditch her deal, and tell Brussels to “LET MY PEOPLE GO”.
But the PM still faces an uphill battle to win the vote in the face of opposition from a hardcore of Tory Brexiteers, the DUP and Jeremy Corbyn.
Downing Street is hoping that the move to split off the withdrawal agreement from the future trade deal will win support from Labour backbenchers.
Labour MPs Gareth Snell and Lisa Nandy had tabled an amendment to today’s vote that would have handed parliament the power to set the negotiating mandate for talks on the future trade relationship.
Commons speaker John Bercow did not agree to allow MPs to vote on that change. But speaking in parliament this morning, attorney general Geoffrey Cox said the government would have agreed to the demand if given the chance.
He told MPs he would “obviously consider” changing the legislation to comply with what the Labour MPs had asked for.
But when the idea of relying on Labour votes to pass the deal was floated, one minister told HuffPost UK: “For most of the last two years, there was an aim to pass the legislation with Conservative votes rather than Labour votes.
“But when it came to it last week, the provision to extend Article 50 did rely on opposition votes. And guess what? The sky didn’t fall in.”
Pleading with parliament to vote for the exit deal today in order to secure an extension, Cox said: “What this choice will mean is that it will bring certainty to thousands of businesses and millions of individuals throughout this country, and to one million citizens of our country residing in the European Union.”