How ‘indicative votes’ will work

MPS have taken the historic step of seizing control of the Commons order paper in order to impose their own views on what sort of Brexit the UK should pursue.

Under the plan put forward by Conservative Sir Oliver Letwin, at 2pm today normal proceedings in the House will stop and MPS will debate a series of motions setting out alternatives to Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal.

At 7pm this evening, rather than dividing into the two Commons voting lobbies to indicate whether they say Aye or No to a single proposition, they will troop through the No lobby to collect a single ballot paper.

That ballot will carry a list of Brexit plans, proposed by MPS and parties last night and whittled down by the Commons Speaker today.

Against each option, MPS will tick a box - either Yes or No - indicating whether they support that proposal being taken forward. They can choose as many of the suggestions as they like.

The ballot will not be secret, so anyone will be able to look up which Brexit plans their MP was willing to support after the count. The result should be known at around 9pm.

On Monday, time will be set aside for MPS to consider the options that receive the greatest amount of support.

In terms of what options will be on the table, at one end of the spectrum, they could include a second referendum or revoking the Article 50 withdrawal process altogether. At the other, it could include a no-deal Brexit, leaving the EU on World Trade Organisation terms. In between, there could be proposals for a “softer” Norway-style Brexit – sometimes called Common Market 2.0 – the customs union plan favoured by Labour, and a harder Canada-style free trade deal.

If a single proposal emerges, it will then be for the government – which says it cannot guarantee to respect the outcome – to respond.