The debate on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill is as noisy as you might expect, given how high emotions are on both sides. What is less predictable is whether MPs will be debating the legislation tomorrow, or whether the government will pull the bill after losing its programme motion vote tonight.
It’s not clear where the numbers are for this vote on the timetable for scrutinising the legislation. But the Tories have made the threat of pulling the legislation after a defeat and moving to an election.
Behind the scenes, whips and No. 10 aides are working feverishly to try to shore up their support, not just from Tory MPs but also those on the opposition benches.
They also had a task just to get enough Tories to speak in this afternoon’s debate: while there are endless backbenchers intervening on Boris Johnson as he addresses MPs, there were only around two dozen Conservatives who had put in to give speeches in the debate itself.
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