SO, WHAT COULD HAPPEN NEXT IN BREXIT SAGA?

TODAY: The Government was due to introduce the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) in the Commons last night, with a second reading vote likely to take place today.

What is the WAB?

The WAB is the Government’s Brexit bill – the legislation needed for Brexit – which would implement the new deal agreed with the EU in UK law.

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said: “If Parliament wants to respect the referendum, it must back the bill.” Could Mr Johnson still get his deal through Parliament?

Yes, but time is running out before the October 31 deadline as the European Parliament would also need to ratify it, and it is unclear how soon MEPs will do that.

The European Parliament’s chief Brexit official, Guy Verhofstadt, said last week MEPs will only start their work once the UK Parliament has passed a fully-binding Brexit deal, and last night he said the Brexit Steering Group had met to discuss the latest developments in the UK.

He tweeted: “We agreed to advise the Conference of Presidents to await the full ratification on the UK side before the @ europarl votes on the deal. It’s now up to the UK Parliament to make their choice.”

And without a meaningful vote in

Parliament, support for the agreement has not yet been tested.

Though the PM has attracted support from a number of prominent Brexiteer Tories, including the European Research Group (ERG), the DUP is strongly opposed to the deal.

What will happen after John Bercow blocked a vote on the deal yesterday?

The Government’s WAB is due for a second reading today.

Ministers insist they “have the numbers” to push the agreement through, but the parliamentary situation appears to be on a tightrope.

Labour has made clear it will try to hijack

the legislation by putting down amendments for a second Brexit referendum and a customs union with the EU. What about the letters sent to the EU by Mr Johnson?

Under the terms of the Benn Act, which was passed against the PM’s wishes, the Prime Minister was compelled to write to the EU asking for a three-month Brexit extension if he had not secured a deal by 11pm UK time on October 19.

He told the Commons: “I will not negotiate a delay with the EU, and neither does the law compel me to do so.”

But the Prime Minister did send two letters to European Council president

Donald Tusk.

First, there was an unsigned photocopy of the request he was obliged to send under the Benn Act, followed by a letter explaining why the Government did not actually want an extension. So will the EU grant an extension?

Despite European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker raising doubts over another Brexit delay, the decision needs to be taken by all 27 remaining EU states, not him. On Saturday night, Mr Tusk said he would now start “consulting EU leaders on how to react”.

The EU could set a different length to an extension, either shorter or longer than the three-month one cited in the Benn

Act.

The EU may also decide not to formally respond to such a letter from the PM until it sees if Mr Johnson can get the Withdrawal Agreement Bill through Parliament.

Despite all this, the PM is insisting that the UK will still quit the EU in 10 days. Will there be an emergency EU summit?

If the PM gets the Withdrawal Agreement Bill through, there could be a special gathering of leaders on October 28.

If the deal needs more time at that stage to get through Parliament, leaders could agree to a short extension.